The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook by Sharon Lebewohl Read Free Book Online Page B

cans or jars at many supermarkets and fine food stores. Any store specializing in Middle Eastern groceries will have it. It’s a thick paste, and, generally, the oil will have risen to the top.
    Hummus/Tahini
    SERVES 6 TO 8
    We’ve prepared this recipe with both canned and fresh-cooked chickpeas, and the latter is much, much tastier. Since chickpeas are easy to cook, we suggest you make them fresh. Similarly, making your own tahini sauce above, rather than buying a prepared product, significantly enhances this dip.
    Advance planning is necessary here, because hummus/tahini dip is more flavorful if eaten a day after you’ve made it; you also need to soak the dried chickpeas overnight.
    4 cups cooked chickpeas (to cook dried chickpeas, soak overnight, rinse, drain, and simmer in water with 1 teaspoon salt for 1½ hours or until tender)
    Â¾ cup tahini sauce
    2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh garlic
    3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    Â¼ cup water (if you cook the chickpeas, use cooking water)
    â…“ cup lemon juice
    Â½ teaspoon cumin
    â…“ cup chopped fresh parsley
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon paprika
    ACCOMPANIMENTS
    Toasted pita bread
    Cucumbers
    Tomato wedges
    Black olives (dry-cured or Niçoise)
    fresh parsley for garnish
    1. Combine all ingredients—except paprika and 1 tablespoon olive oil—in a food processor or blender, and pulse to a smooth texture.
    2. Serve well chilled, spread on a plate. Dissolve paprika in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and drizzle a little on each serving from a spoon. Serve with warm pita bread, cucumber spears, tomato wedges, and olives. A little parsley also makes a nice garnish.
    Baba Ganoush
    SERVES 6
    Eggplant, indigenous to India, traveled via Turkey to Arab countries and Eastern Europe. Today, it is an abundant Israeli crop and a staple ingredient in numerous recipes. Of all eggplant preparations, this is the most ubiquitous in Israeli homes and restaurants.
    4 long eggplants (they must be thin enough to fit whole into your broiler; about 1½ pounds each)
    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    Â½ cup tahini sauce (see Note and recipe)
    Â¼ cup fresh lemon juice
    1 tablespoon very finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
    â…“ cup chopped fresh parsley
    â…› teaspoon cayenne pepper
    1 teaspoon salt
    Parsley for garnish
    Pita bread
    1. Wash eggplants, and prick skin in about twenty places with a fork. If you don’t, they’re liable to explode, creating a mess that is not to be believed.
    2. Place whole eggplants in your broiler on a cookie sheet (or line the broiler with aluminum foil). Broil for 50 minutes, turning them about every 12 minutes. They will shrivel, get blackened and blistered, and generally collapse; this is what you want to happen.
    3. Slit the eggplants on one side, and place them, slit side down, in a colander over a large bowl to cool and drain. When they’ve cooled sufficiently to handle comfortably, peel the eggplants, and scoop out the pulp into a bowl. Eggplants are a bit difficult to peel; try not to get any of the burned peel in the bowl. The 4 eggplants should yield about 4 cups of pulp. Return the eggplant to the colander, and drain a bit more liquid. Then put it in a food processor with all remaining ingredients (or mash by hand in a large bowl), and blend to a creamy texture. Chill for several hours before serving. Garnish with parsley, and serve as a dip with warm pita bread.
    Note about tahini sauce: Tahini is a concentrate of puréed sesame seeds, which you can buy in a can or jar at many supermarkets. Any store specializing in Middle Eastern groceries will have it. To prepare the tahini sauce needed for this recipe, follow the recipe .
    Eggplant Salad
    SERVES 6
    This Israeli salad is best made a day in advance, allowing the flavors to blend. We must confess, however, it’s so good even when just cooked, we can barely resist scarfing it up hot from the skillet.
    6 cups peeled eggplant,