Roasted Beet Hummus (Pancarlı Humus)

In my first couple of years in the US, I couldn’t get over how popular hummus was in this country. I was surprised because hummus had managed to become popular despite how it was prepared and served: dense in texture and bland in flavor. It wasn’t anything like how we prepare and serve it—and Turks are not even the masters of it. Back home hummus is soft and airy in texture; light, lemony9, and spiced in flavor. It is served in shallow plates, never in deep bowls. You cannot be parsimonious with lemon juice, water, and olive oil; a good hummus needs them.

My experimentations with hummus have a lot to do with having kids. Realizing what a nutritious, not just delicious, snack it was I started adding or hiding colorful vegetables in hummus. Beets are just one of them and absolutely our family favourite. 

    

1 small to medium beet root

1 ½ cups cooked check peas

2 tbsp tahini

Juice of 1-1 ½ lemons

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup yogurt

Salt

4 tbsp olive oil (3 in and 1 for the top)

Water (even better cooking water from the chickpeas) as necessary

Optional

Paprika

Cumin

Sesame seeds

Nigella seeds

Parsley

-The Beet: Wash well and then cut the bottom and top parts of the beet root. Cut the beet into four or, if it’s a big one, 8 pieces. Toss with a little bit of olive oil, place on a parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven at 400F. (Do not discard the stems and leaves if they came with those. Try this beet greens with olive oil recipe.)

-The Chickpeas: I always buy chickpeas in bulk, soak them in water overnight, and then boil them until cooked for 1-1 ½ hours. It is best to use them right when they’re warm since the skins will be soft and easy to be smoothened by the blender.

Most authentic way of making hummus requires peeling the skins off. I find it very time consuming and have figured out an easy way out; If you are using canned chickpeas, put them in a pot with water and boil for 5-10 minutes to soften the skin.

I take what I need and freeze the rest of the chickpeas in jars filled with 1-2 cups for later use.

-Put tahini, olive oil, and lemon juice in the blender and run until smooth.

-Add the beet (~1 cup) and blend.

-Add chickpeas, yogurt, and salt.  

-Add water to thin. Humus should be soft and fluffy. It most definitely should not be like a paste.

-Taste and add more lemon juice, salt, or water.

-Ways to serve: Hummus is usually served in a wide shallow bowl in Turkey, never in a dip bowl. For regular hummus, we usually heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in a small pan. When it’s hot, before it burns, we add paprika and let sizzle for 5 seconds. Then pour it over the hummus on its serving plate. Chopped parsley is another way to serve it. Some people like to drizzle olive oil and sprinkle cumin powder on top—this is my least favorite. I like to serve beet hummus with chopped parsley or dill on top or with sesame or nigella seeds. All is delicious.

-Traditionally, hummus is scooped with bread/pita bread; however, it’s good with pita chips, crackers, and fresh vegetables.    

     

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Garbanzo Bean Pilaf (Nohutlu Pilav)

Now a highly common and popular street food, garbanzo bean pilaf (nohutlu pilav), was a special dish served during the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror by Grand Vizier Mahmut Paşa to his guests. Mahmut Paşa's pilaf had both real, edible garbanzo beans and garbanzo beans made out of gold! Mahmut Paşa called the golden ones his "diş kirası," which literary translates as "tooth money." But don't think it was a compensation for broken teeth! In the past it was a tradition of wealthy families to give a feast for the poor and the wealthy alike during the month of Ramadan. The family would give a small gift to everyone who attended the fast breaking dinner (iftar) for kind-of renting their teeth to their hosts for the night. Apparently Mahmut Paşa offered the gift in the food in stead of handing it out.

Nowadays in Turkey you can eat this rich and tasty pilaf, usually along with pieces of chicken, at small sloppy restaurants during the day and on the street late at night, post-bar hours, and with no "tooth money."

1 cups rice
1/2 cup garbanzo beans (soaked over night and boiled the next day until cooked or use can garbanzo beans)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp butter (traditionally sheep's tail fat is used for this recipe, but we settle down for butter now)
2 cups of water
salt and pepper


























-Heat butter in a non-stick pot.
-Add onion and stir until soft.
-Add rice and garbanzo beans. Stir for a couple of minutes.
-Add water, salt, and pepper.
-Let it boil first and then turn it to low heat. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed. Do not stir the rice while cooking.
-Turn it off and cover the top of the pot with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Place lid on tightly. Let sit for ~10 minutes.
-Fluff and serve it as a main dish or as a side with meat.

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Zucchini Mousakka with Garbanzo Beans (Nohutlu Kabak Musakka)

There is something special about musakka recipes; they always turn out great. Although musakka, the term Arabic in origin, does not resemble the Arabic dish which is a kind of cold eggplant appetizer; although musakka means a different dish in a lot of countries such as Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, and Turkey; and although the musakka dish has numerous versions even in one country, a musakka dish is always delicious. In Turkish cuisine musakka is usually prepared with fried eggplant, tomato, peppers, and ground meat.

This zucchini musakka recipe comes from Musa Dağdeviren, the owner and chef of famous Çiya Restaurant in İstanbul. I had also tried his mualle recipe before. This is not well-known or traditional recipe since it uses garbanzo beans. I replaced ground lamb with ground beef and it is still delicious. If you want to try it with ground lamb, you can find the original recipe here.

























4 medium zucchinis, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup ground meat
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced3-4 tomatoes, diced or 1 can of petite diced tomato
1 cup of canned garbanzo beans
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tbsp red pepper paste or chile sauce
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint or 1 tbsp dried mint flakes
salt
ground pepper
-Prepare a bowl of salty water and soak sliced zucchini for half an hour.
-Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a broad deep pan. Add ground meat and cook until browned and all the juice is gone. -Add garlic and onion, cook for approximately 5 more minutes.
-Add tomato paste and pepper paste (or chile sauce). Let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
-Stir in diced tomato. Cook for 5 minutes.
-Add zucchini slices. Cook on medium heat, stirring, until tender.
-Stir in garbanzo beans. Cook for a couple of minutes.
-Season with salt and pepper. Transfer zucchini musakka into a bowl. Sprinkle with mint and parsley.
-Musakkas are always good with white rice, crusty bread, and yogurt.

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Garbanzo Beans and Soft Wheat Berries Soup (Nohut ve Buğdaylı Çorba)

A hearty delicious soup for the last cold days of winter from Lezzet's February 2007 issue.

1 cup dry garbanzo beans
1/2 cup soft wheat berries
1/2 cup red lentils
1 small celery root/celeria, grated
1 carrot, petite diced
5-6 parsley stems, chopped
2-3 celery root stems, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
6 cups vegetable or beef stock
2 tsp oregano leaves
1 cup plain yogurt (non-fat, 1%, 2%, or whole milk)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper


























-Put garbanzo beans and soft wheat berries in a pot. Cover with water ~3 inches above garbanzo and soft wheat berries. Bring to a boil. Then turn it off, cover and soak overnight. Wash and rinse them well the next day.
-Heat butter in a big pot. Add onions and cook until soft.
-Add in red lentils and tomato paste. Stir for 2-3 minutes. Then, add soaked garbanzo beans and soft wheat berries. Stir for another 2-3 minutes.
-Add grated celery root, diced carrot, chopped parsley and celery root stems, oregano leaves, black pepper, salt, and stock (vegetable or beef).
-Let it boil on medium heat for approximately an hour.
-In a small bowl, mix yogurt and olive oil.
-Slowly stir yogurt into the soup. Mix once and let it boil for a couple of minutes. Then turn it off. The soup is ready.

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Zucchini with Beef and Garbanzo Beans (Kabak Bastırması)

I saw this recipe in a Turkish food blog, chez Ayşenur, and immediately decided to make it. Garbanzo beans and zucchini: how could it be bad? It certainly is delicious. Ayşenur says that this is a local recipe from Kilis, a city in Turkey near the Turkish-Syrian border.

2/3 cups of garbanzo beans
1/2 pound stew beef (I preferred beef but y0u can also use lamb)
2 zucchinis, medium size cut in half-rounds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 banana peppers or 1 bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp spicy pepper paste
3 cloves of garlic, minced
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp dried mint flakes

-Soak garbanzo beans overnight. The next day cook garbanzo beans and stew beef in a pressure cooker with 5-6 cups of water for 45 minutes. If you don't have a pressure cooker, then you should cook them for at least an hour or until the garbanzos are soft. Or if you want to use canned garbanzo beans then cook them for approximately 30 minutes (until the beef is cooked). Take the garbanzos and beef out and keep the water; do not throw it away.
-In a big pot heat the oil and add onions and pepper. Stir until they're soft.
-Add the tomato and spicy pepper paste, stir for a couple of minutes. (if you cannot find spicy pepper paste, just use tomato paste and pepper flakes)
-Now it's time to add garbanzos, beef, and zucchini. Add 3-4 cups of the water you saved from garbanzos and stew beef. Salt to your taste. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until zucchini is tender on low.
-Mix minced garlic and lemon juice and stir in when zucchini is cooked. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and turn it off. Sprinkle dried mint , cover, and let it sit for 10 minutes before you serve. You won't believe how tender the beef will be.

Ayşenur suggests that it should be served with bulgur pilaf. I have a bulgur pilaf recipe, but it would be too flavorful for this. You can also serve it with white rice. But if you want to try it with bulgur, here's how to make a simple bulgur pilaf: Heat 2 tbsp butter in a pot. Add bulgur and stir a minute (the ratio of bulgur you will use to water should be 1:2). Add 1 tbsp tomato paste (or more) stir for another minute. Add water and salt, bring to a boil, and then cover and cook on low until bulgur soaks the water.

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Garbanzo Beans with Vegetables (Sebzeli Nohut)

1 cup dry garbanzo beans or 1 can of organic garbanzo beans
1 big onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup fineley chopped cabbage
1 carrot, garted
1 potato, grated
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp pepper paste (optional)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp pepper flakes
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup vegetable stock
salt and pepper

-If you want to use dry beans, either soak them over night and then boil them until soft or use a pressure cooker. I pressure cooked 1 cup of garbanzo beans with 6-7 cups of water for 40 minutes. If you're using canned ones, just open the can.
-Sautee onions and peppers with olive oil in a pot until soft. Stir in cabbage, carrot, potato, and cumin seeds. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
-Add tomato / pepper paste and stir for another minute.
-Add garbanzo beans, salt, blackpepper, pepper flakes, and stock. Add water just to cover the beans. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
-Serve with any kind of rice.

I usually cook garbanzo beans Turkish style, but this time I tried something different. I had a small amount of cabbage in the fridge from a pickling experiment that I couldn't throw away, and I was trying to find a way to use it. Since I had cooked garbanzo beans with grated celery root once, I thought they might be good with cabbage as well. I was right; it turned out to be delicious. However, you don't have to cook with cabbage. You can make variations. Vegetables to be experimented on might be zucchini, squash, celery root, celery, turnips, etc.

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Garbanzo Beans (Nohut)

1 can of garbanzo beans. (I prefer using organic dry garbanzo beans; they absolutely taste better than canned ones. I cook them for 40 minutes in a pressure cooker. You can also soak them in water overnight and then boil for an hour or two before you start cooking)
1 onion, diced
2 green peppers, chopped
1 can of diced tomato or
2 grated fresh tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato or pepper paste (or 1/2 tbsp pepper + 1/2 tbsp tomato)
2 tbsp oil (olive, corn, butter)
salt & black pepper
any other spice you want--to spice up garbanzos: crushed peppers, green or red chili powder, etc.

optional:
1 carrot, chopped in half rounds or diced
stew beef

-Heat the oil in a pot and then add first onions, then green peppers (if you want carrots, add them with peppers). Stir on medium heat for 4-5 minutes
-Add the paste. After two minutes of stirring, add tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes
-Now it's time for garbanzo beans, salt & pepper, other spices, and hot water (enough to cover)
-Cook for 20-25 minutes on low heat. If you're using a pressure cooker, cook for 10 minutes.
-Serve with rice.

If you want to try this recipe with stew beef or lamb, add the meat in between onions and peppers and cook until the meat changes its color; it would be probably between 5-7 minutes.

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