After Marseille, the best houmous

All the other houmous I have made must go in the BIN

Last week I found myself in Marseille, where my French side of the family lives. Amid the tight schedule of family visits, I found myself lured back to roam the tight network of narrow streets around the central district of Noailles to go to Salaedine, an Aladdin’s Cave of a spice emporium, which sells anything from dried jasmine petals to saffron, 20 types of harissa paste and deadly looking black soap.

Salaedine is fringed by off-the-map Middle Eastern bakeries slinging out fresh flatbreads and ‘millefeuille’ custard slices by the square metre.

Bakes at La Maison Raya, Rue Longue des Capucins. The ‘mahjouba aux epinards’ is on the right, above.

Look at these foot-long ‘millefeuilles’: layers of flaky pastry sandwiched with crème pâtissière:

I could have spent days wandering around, but time was tight. I always find the frenetic energy of Marseille addictive - restless, dodgy, beautiful, filthy, vibrant and full of life; 48 hours there wasn’t sufficient, but just enough for me to dip my toe in.

The snack I really enjoyed was a Middle Eastern ‘mahjouba aux epinards’ for 2 Euros 50 cents. It was a spinach-filled cross between a naan bread, paratha and a pancake. It had a bit of cream cheese in it too. I would have loved to scoop up some houmous with it. This led to massive cravings, and on my return home, I discovered the BEST houmous recipe I’ve ever tasted.

It’s rare I find a recipe that really turns my head, one that’s going to change my life for the better. But I have! I’ve never managed to make a houmous that I actually liked that much. Shop bought stuff is grim as well. Too grainy, too bitter, too garlicky, just ‘wrong’. But I don’t have to suffer anymore!!! The veggie blogger Cookie and Kate did me a huge service by researching the shit out of all the how-to’s on the internet, including tips from Israeli chef Michael Solomonov, and this is her great work, tweaked a tiny bit by me. What’s the secret weapon here? It’s ICED WATER! Plus a technique that seems back-to-front, but is totally worth it.

It’s quite lengthy to make (we’re talking approx 1 hour prep) so perhaps make double the amount and store it in the fridge so that you can snack on it all week…

Serves 6 as a dip. You will need:

1 x 400g can of chickpeas
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/3 cup tahini
1 medium clove of garlic
Juice of 2 lemons, plus more to taste
4 tablespoons of iced water, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Optional: zest of 1 lemon

First of all, put your tinned chickpeas in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil - simmer for approx 20 minutes until the chickpeas are collapsing. Drain and rinse in cold water. Then put the garlic clove, lemon juice and salt in a blender and blitz until smooth. Leave for 10 minutes to allow the lemon juice to ‘tame’ the garlic. Then add the tahini, whiz, then add the iced water. Blitz until creamy, then add the chickpeas, cumin and blend. Finally add the olive oil. Blitz, adding more iced water if the mixture is too dry. Then add your lemon zest at the end, and season again to taste, adding more salt, olive oil and lemon juice as desired. Use as a dip with carrot sticks, slather into a pitta or gyros sandwich, pile onto falafels, rice bowls, anything.

E N J O Y !

More of Marseille…