My brother-in-law’s brother (what do you call that? I just call him “J” haha) would not classify this as Hummus, and rightfully so! There is no Tahini in this “Hummus”. So technically, it’s just a good ol’ chickpea purée, a garbanzno dip if you will. That, alone, is a delicious enough reason to make it. But when it’s buried beneath a glistening and crunchy salady-thing made of cucumbers, pickled red onion, briney castelvetrano olives, and fuzzy herbs and blooms AND some roasted chicken that’s been shredded and pan-fried to a golden crispy crust- then you really have no excuse to not want to eat this! (Unless you don’t eat meat…)
This is a great option to bring as a dish to a backyard BBQ, beach picnic, the park, on the boat, or serve as part of a casual family style meal.
Garbanzpea Dip
First off, the Garbanz-pea Dip (combo of garbanzo and chickpea… I don’t know what to call this thing!) I like to keep it simple, puréed with some preserved lemon, fresh lemon juice, and the chickpea cooking liquid. Of course you can cook your chickpeas yourself, (I soak them overnight, then simmer them for several hours with onions, garlic, and bay leaves), but you can always used canned!
Pop them into the blender and purée until you have a thick, smooth consistency… like hummus! Taste, and adjust your salt and acid and texture as needed… (too thick, add some lemon juice and/or cooking liquid), etc..
Next up, the Cucumber Salady-Thing
Portion about a cup per person. Use whatever cukes you can find or what dazzles you most at the market. Peel, if necessary, and dice the cuke into pieces that would fit nicely on a spoon or piece of bread if scooped-up with the dip and chicken. Technically, I used a rough medium dice so there was some substantial texture and crunch.
To pickle the red onion… ok… technically this is more of a quick pickle or even a marinade… just peel and slice your onion as thinly as possible in the half moon shape (cut along the ridges that run from root to top), then put them in a bowl with an acid. It could be a wine vinegar you have or citrus juice. I used lemon juice. Sprinkle a bit of salt. Once they turn a bright purpley-pink, add them to your cukes.
Portion a large tablespoonful of castelvetrano olives per person, pit them if necessary, and cut them in half. Toss them in with the cukes and red onion.
Tear or roughly chop your herbs (I used dill, oregano, mint, and chive blooms- but didn’t chop the chive blooms) and add them to your mix. Fresh herbs can be strong, so start easy (like 1 stem of each) and you can always add more. You want herbs in evert bite, so depending on how much salad you make, you’ll want to adjust your quantity for that. For roughly 4 portions of this salad, I would use about 1/4 cup of the chopped, combined herbs because the dill, oregano, and mint are strong. I always suggest tasting the individual herbs first, then deciding on how much of each type you want to add.
Mince the peel of some preserved lemon. It can be strong, so use 1/4 of the whole peel for about 4-6 portions-worth. Alternatively, zest a full of half fresh lemon directly over the cuke bowl and mix it all together.
Taste. Add some salt and some more lemon juice as needed.
Now for the golden browned chicken pieces
This is my favorite way to re-heat roasted chicken and turkey. Simply tear off chuncks of meat and shred them into pieces that will fit on your fork and can be easily eaten. Heat a skillet, coat the bottom with an even layer of whatever cooking oil you use (not a lot, just enough to barely cover the surface), when it’s hot, add your chicken in an even layer. Leave it alone until you can see the bottom edge start to turn a golden brown and the pieces release easily from the pan. At that point, turn them over (or give the pan a good couple of shakes or toss them), sprinkle some salt and chili if you want, turn off the heat and let them cool in the pan. Taste them and adjust the seasoning to your liking before plating them up.
To Plate-Up
If you’re bringing this dish to a pot-luck, you might want to pack the components separately (dip, cuke salad, chicken) and plate it up once you arrive for easier transport. But if you’re going to the beach or on a boat or somewhere without a kitchen, just do it in advance.
If you have a large, shallow bowl, that is ideal! Give a hearty swoop of dip on the bottom (you can cover just half the surface, or all of it) Just be sure to make a large indentation with the bottom of your spoon where the salady thing and chicken cat sit. Next, top with said salady thing and chicken. Garnish with extra herbs and, or edible blooms (like the chive blossoms).
I served this with Brot Blume’s sourdough Spelt Olive & Rosemary Fougasse (from my microbakery). But a focaccia would be most welcome here, as well as pita, naan, tortilla chips, pita chips, or even baguette or crostini. Just something that you can scoop onto that will bear the weight of all the tasty components without wilting or crumbling.
RECAP
Garbanzpea Dip
Cook:
– Chickpeas, Onion, Garlic, Bay Leaves (or use canned chickpeas)
Strain & Blend with:
– Lemon (juice & zest), Preserved Lemon (or just use the fresh lemon), cooking liquid as needed
Purée to smooth and thick dip consistency
Cuke Salad Thing
Combine:
– Diced Cucumber
– Sliced Red Onion that’s been pickled in Wine vinegar or citrus juice
– Green Olives (or whatever olives you love most or have on hand)
– Fresh Herbs like Dill, Mint, Oregano, & Chive Blooms
– Lemon Juice
– Preserved lemon skin, minced, or zest of fresh lemon or lime
Roasted chicken (store-bought rotisserie chicken works great here!)
Bread thing for scooping like fougasse, focaccia, baguette, pita, naan, your favorite bread, or chips or crackers.
Enjoy, Polpette! And have a joyful Memorial Weekend!
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