From Trinidad we go to the Middle East with a recipe for two appetizers that are quickly becoming as American as apple pie: hummus and babaganoush. The only thing that might be hard to find in these recipes is the chickpeas. You can find them in Itaewon at the imported goods shop on hooker hill, Hannam Market and Shinsagae Department store in central Seoul. In Daegu you can find them in the imported goods market in the northwest factory district. In Busan, in the imported goods markets on the street beside Sasang Emart. You don’t need a blender to make these recipes but it makes it easier. Mezze is usually served with Arak but I find beer to be just as good. Pastis is a little closer to Arak and you can find that in Hannam Market too (see our Seoul map). The Marsaille Pastis is a little less anisey than the Pernod and will interfere less with the flavors in these dishes. You can’t have mezze without pita so I included a recipe for them as well that you can do without an oven. Making mezze from scratch takes a little time and a bit of elbow grease but it’s a great way to impress the shit out of your friends and co-workers and could also probably get you laid if you find the right person to share it with.  That and cooking is its own reward, right? Isn’t that why you are reading this?

To make the pita I use a standard recipe with one small tweek, instead of baking the pita in the oven for 4 minutes a side at 500 degrees (preferable if you have an oven) you can simply heat up a skillet to medium-high heat and cook the pitas for about 3 mins a side right on the gas range.

Pita

1 package of yeast
1 1/2 cup of warm water
3 cups of flour
1 1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of granulated sugar

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until it’s dissolved. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until the water is frothy. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour. Slowly add 1 cup of warm water and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is combined. Flour your working surface, place the dough and knead it for 5 minutes until it is elastic and not sticky. Coat the large bowl with olive oil and place your kneaded dough. Turn the dough so it is also coated in oil. Place the bowl in a warm place to sit for 1 hour until the dough is doubled in size.

Flour your working surface and roll out your dough into a long tube. Cut the dough into 10-12 small pieces. Roll out each ball of dough with a floured rolling pin into circles about 5-6 inches and 1/4 inches thick.

Heat a skillet on medium-high gas and cook the pitas for about 3 minutes a side being careful not to burn the flour.

Hummus

1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
juice of 1  lemon
2 tablespoons tahini*
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can.  With a mortar and pestle, mash the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice and cumin  into a paste adding 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. To get a creamier consistency blend the mixture with a hand blender.
Plate and drizzle with olive oil and garnish Aleppo pepper, sumac and za’atar (okay, that’s impossible to find here unless you bring it with you, I know. You can use parsley, spices or sesame seeds as well.

Babaganoush

5 eggplants
2 glove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tahini*
2 tablespoons lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Prick eggplant with a fork and grill the eggplant over a gas grill, rotating it until the skin is completely charred, about 10 minutes.   Alternatively, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bake the eggplant until it is soft inside, about 20 minutes.  Let the eggplant cool. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, drain off the liquid, and scoop the pulp into a mortar and pestle or food processor. Process the eggplant until smooth and transfer to a medium bowl.

On a cutting board, work garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt together with the flat side of a knife, until it forms a paste. Add the garlic-salt mixture to the eggplant. Stir in the tahini, and lemon juice. Season with more salt, to taste.

Garnish with olive oil and spices and sesame seeds.

*to make your own tahini simply toast about a cup of sesame seeds in a skillet and blend with olive oil until you get the consistency of peanut butter, adding a tiny bit of warm water to loosen it up. You can do this with a mortar and pestle if you don’t have a blender but it takes a lot of muscle and a lot of time.

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