“Economical, adaptable and endlessly forgiving”
Sawsan Daana’s recipe for chickpea fatteh, adapted by Reem Kassis, is inspiring. I know that word is tossed around a lot, but there’s no other way I can describe my reaction to it. After reading Reem’s article for The New York Times and the recipe, not only did I know I had to make it, but I knew I wanted to play with the recipe and make it mine. My brain was already off and running, thinking up ways to work in my favorite ingredients and the contents of my fridge. Inspiration! How I made my fatteh: I didn’t have pita but I did have markouk, so I rumpled up a couple of sheets, drizzled them with olive oil, quickly toasted them in the oven and crunched them into chips. Instead of a chile, I mixed some harissa into the garlic sauce; per Reem’s tip, I skipped the hummus and stirred extra tahini into my yogurt sauce. I added cucumbers and parsley because I love them, as well as some lazily chopped roasted cashews because I had those but not pine nuts. (I figured cashews sort of get at that buttery snap that pine nuts are known for.) Oh, and I didn’t do the seared beef topping and instead borrowed the roasted eggplant from the eggplant fatteh recipe. In other words, I immediately used the recipe as a launchpad, and landed myself squarely in a creative, delicious dinner. I’d like to think I understood the assignment: As Reem writes, fatteh is “an economical, adaptable and endlessly forgiving blueprint, filling without being fussy and impressive without trying too hard, the kind of meal that makes use of what’s on hand but still feels like a feast.” Featured Recipe Chickpea FattehToday’s specials:Crispy baked fish with tartar sauce: The tartar sauce does double duty here in Ali Slagle’s recipe, acting as both flavorful breadcrumb binder and, well, sauce. To get the full fish shack experience, eat this dish with a cold canned beer under the dead-eyed stare of a sea gull. Noodle okonomiyaki (cabbage and egg pancakes): Hetty Lui McKinnon’s new recipe is loosely based on Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, with instant noodles tagging in for the yakisoba noodles. I always need some sort of sweet-savory-tangy sauce to pair with the requisite Kewpie squiggles on top, and in a pinch I’ve used teriyaki sauce or Bull-Dog sauce (which is usually used for tonkatsu, but is delicious on okonomiyaki). Spiced, dry-brined mushrooms: The next time you cook mushrooms, instead of chopping them, try tearing them apart with your fingers. You’ll end up with these irregular, scraggly-edged pieces that look very restauranty. You can use this Ashley Lonsdale recipe for practice — and not for nothing, these assertively spiced mushrooms would probably be fantastic in a fatteh. Make-ahead egg, spinach and feta wraps: Heads up, meal preppers! Naz Deravian’s recipe yields five protein-packed, grab-and-go breakfasts. Slip one into your work bag with some of those hot sauce packets that are kicking around in that drawer (you know the one). Sesame-coconut shortbreads: There’s a lot to love about these darling little cookies from David Tanis: the sesame (in both tahini and seed form), the coconut, the touch of honey that adds its floral warmth. But I really adore that they start with melted butter, because I never remember to take butter out of the fridge to soften.
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