Joyful Eating at Parker: Middle Eastern Mezze

The Parker Jewish Institute is proud of our culinary team. We encourage all Parker members – whether a patient, resident, visitor or employee – to eat a well-balanced, nutritional diet.

Today, we are sharing a recipe for a Middle Eastern mezze, a colorful collection of flavorful cold appetizers. This mezze features baba ghanoush, hummus, and a Lebanese tabbouleh salad, served with pita bread. Each appetizer is highly nutritious, low in calories and rich in fiber. These flavorful foods support the immune system, aid heart health and help stabilize blood sugar.

Baba Ghanoush

Ingredients:

·        2 eggplants

·        3 green onions

·        1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

·        3 tablespoons tahini

·        1 lemon, juiced

·        1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

·        1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

·        Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

·        2 tablespoons of olive oil

·        Za'atar, smoked paprika, olive oil and chopped parsley for garnish

·        Grilled or warm pita bread and vegetables of choice

‍Instructions:

 Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place eggplants and green onions onto the grate.

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Grill onions for approximately 3 minutes or until lightly charred and just tender. Turn occasionally. Remove onions from grill and cut into chunks.

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Grill eggplants overdirect heat for 10-15 minutes or until skin is well-charred, turning occasionally. Move eggplants to the indirect heat, the cool side of grill. Cover the grill and cook for another 20 minutes or until soft and tender. Remove from grill and cool for 10 minutes or until they can be handled.

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Remove the eggplant skin and scoop out the flesh. Remove the seeds if desired. Place the eggplant flesh, grilled green onions, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

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Drizzle olive oil into the food processor bowl, and purée, combining all ingredients.

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Pour baba ghanoush into a serving dish. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

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Top with a drizzle of olive oil, za'atar, smoked paprika and chopped parsley.

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Serve with grilled or warm pita bread and vegetable of choice.

Hummus

Ingredients:

·        One 15.5 oz. can chickpeas

·        A generous ¾ cup good quality tahini

·        6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice plus more to taste

·        3 cloves garlic, chopped

·        1 teaspoon ground cumin

·        1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

·        ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·        6 to 10 tablespoons ice water

·        Pita bread cut into 8 warmed wedges

·        Extra virgin olive oil

·        Chopped parsley

·        Lemon zest

·        Paprika or Aleppo pepper 

Instructions:

Drain chickpeas, then transfer to a food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes until you have a smooth puree, scraping down the sides as you go.

Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Blend, and with the motor running, stream in the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

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After 6 tablespoons of ice water, evaluate the texture. If it’s still stiff or you want it to looser, stream in more water, and continue blending until smooth and creamy. Taste for seasonings. Add more salt, garlic, cumin or lemon juice as needed.

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Transfer hummus to a shallow bowl or plate with a lip. Use the back of a spoon to make waves or a well in the center. Spoon the reserved oil into the ridges or into the well. Top with the fried garlic and lemon zest mixture.

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Top with chopped parsley and a few shakes of paprika or Aleppo pepper.

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Serve with warm pita slices.

Lebanese tabbouleh salad

Ingredients

·        1 cup fine bulgur

·        Boiled water

·       2 bunches flat parsley

·        12 large mint leaves

·       ½ English cucumber

·       1 small red onion

·       3 medium tomatoes

·       2 lemons, juiced (about 6 tablespoons)

·       1 small red onion

·       ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

·       1 pinch salt and pepper, plus more to taste

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Instructions

Put the bulgur in a bowl, cover it with an inch of just-boiled water, and let it sit at least 20 minutes. (It will double in size.)

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Wash and dry the parsley and mint. Remove the stems, finely chop the herbs together, and put them in a large mixing bowl.

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Peel and deseed the cucumber half. Slice it lengthwise into thirds, then chop. Chop the onions and tomatoes and add them to the cucumber, parsley, and mint.

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Drain any remaining water out of the bulgur and add it to the vegetables.

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Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to the salad. Mix well, taste and adjust the seasoning and olive oil as needed

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