Black Bean Hummus with Red Onions, Farmer's Cheese, and Ancho Chile Sauce in Pita Bread
The Middle Eastern dish hummus, made of pureed chickpeas and tahini (sesame seed sauce), is justly renowned not only for its rich flavor but also for its remarkable versatility. It can be used as a dip, spread, or sandwich filling. It also lends itself to any number of variations- the addition of roasted garlic, for example, or hot spices. Given its appeal, we were wondering one day what it might be like if it were made with another bean and different spices. We experimented with black beans and discovered that black bean hummus, with Southwestern overtones, is also a winner.
The ancho chile sauce on these sandwiches serves as a strong accent. It can be made well in advance and is good to have in the refrigerator to spice up any number of dishes. If you make both the hummus and sauce in advance, then it is just a matter of filling the pita pockets, which makes for a quick lunch or light supper with a bowl of soup. Remember the hummus when you want an easy appetizer, and serve it with triangles of pita bread. Use the sauce as you do here, as an accent.
Ingredients
FOR THE HUMMUS
- 1 ½ cups dried black beans picked over
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
FOR THE CHILE SAUCE
- 4 dried ancho chile peppers
- 2 cups water
- ½ onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 plum tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
FOR THE SANDWICHES
- 1 red onion
- 12 ounces farmer's cheese or feta cheese
- 1 medium cucumber
- 6 pita breads
Instructions
- Make the black bean hummus: In a saucepan, combine the black beans
- with water to cover. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam on the surface, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook the beans for about 45 minutes, until tender. Drain, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Let the beans cool.
- Puree the beans in a blender or food processor, adding some of the
- reserved cooking liquid to loosen the mixture. Add the paprika and salt. Pour in the olive oil and blend until combined. (The hummus should be thick.) Spoon the hummus into a bowl, and hold it at room temperature while making the remaining components of the sandwich.
- Make the ancho chile sauce: Place the ancho chiles in a small saucepan, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let stand for 1 hour. When the chiles are fat, soft, and pliable, remove them from the pan, reserving the soaking liquid. Seed the peppers over the sink under a trickle of water. Discard the stems.
- Finely dice the onion. Peel, trim, and mince the garlic. Trim and cut the tomatoes into small chunks.
- Put the tomatoes and chiles in a food processor with about ⅓ cup of the soaking liquid and puree. The consistency should be like a a loose sauce. (If needed, add more liquid.)
- 6.In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the pureed tomato mixture, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until thickened. Turn off the heat, stir in the sugar and vinegar, and let the sauce cool to room temperature. For a smoother sauce, strain through a sieve, pressing on the solids with a wooden spoon.
- Assemble the sandwiches: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel, trim, and thinly slice the onion. Peel and thinly slice the cucumber. Slice the farmer's cheese.
- Warm the pita breads for about 5 minutes. Cut each pita in half to create 2 half circles with pockets that are easy to handle. Stuff each with some of the hummus, red onion slices, cucumber, and farmer's cheese, and spoon 1 or 2 tablespoons of the ancho chile sauce over all. Serve 2 pockets per person.