Brussel Sprouts with Lentils and Hummus

There is no ingredient quite like Brussel sprouts. You either love or loathe them! Most of us have childhood nightmares of the life being boiled out of them. In truth, they're a fantastic ingredient - super versatile and full of flavour. In this recipe, we've married them with flavours of the Middle East. An outstanding vegetarian dish and great way to eat your sprouts!

Serves 2

Ingredients
500g Brussel sprouts
1 x 400g tin lentils
1x 400g tin chickpeas
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon dukkah
2 tablespoons balsamic syrup
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Method

Drain the liquid from the chickpeas and place them in a bowl. Finely chop the garlic clove and add to the chickpeas together with 1 tablespoon tahini and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Blend with a stick blender or food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Clean the Brussel sprouts and cut into quarters. Heat a wok over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and fry the sprouts for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the liquid from the lentils and heat gently in a pan.

Add the balsamic syrup to the spouts and mix well. Keep the sprouts warm.

Divide the hummus between 2 plates, spoon on the lentils and divide over the sprouts. Sprinkle over the dukkah and serve.

 

Nederlands

voor 2 personen

Ingrediënten
500gr spruitjes
1 x 400gr blikje linzen
1 x 400gr blikje kikkererwten
1 knoflookteentje
1 eetlepel tahini
1 eetlepel dukkah
2 eetlepels balsamicostroop
3 eetlepels olijfolie
zout en peper

Bereiding

Giet het water van de kikkererwten af en doe ze in een kom. Snijd knoflookteentje fijn, voeg toe aan kikkererwten samen met 1 eetlepel tahini en 1 eetlepel olijfolie. Maak met staafmixer of magimix fijn. Breng op smaak met zout en peper en zet opzij.

Maak spruitjes schoon en snijd ze in vieren. Verwarm een wok op medium vuur met 2 eetlepels olijfolie, wok de spruitjes voor 5 minuten. Breng op smaak met zout en peper.

Giet het vocht van de linzen af en warm ze zachtjes op in een pannetje.

Voeg de vincotto toe aan de spruitjes, meng goed door elkaar en houd warm.

Verdeel de humus over 2 borden, schep de linzen er bovenop en verdeel de spruitjes er overheen. Strooi de dukkah naar smaak over de spruitjes.

 


Hummus

Hummus is an amazing dish. It's cheap to make, full of protein, healthy, vegan and can be taken in all directions with the addition of different spices and herbs.

Here is the definitive basic recipe for hummus.

Serves 6

Ingredients
250g dried chickpeas
10g baking soda
2 cloves garlic, crushed
275g raw tahini
the juice of 1-1,5 lemons
1 teaspoon salt
1 sprig flat leaf parsley
selection of toasted seeds -we used equal quantities pine nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds
olive oil

Method
Soak the chickpeas for a minimum of 12 hours in water with 5g of the baking soda. Drain off the water and bring the chickpeas to a boil with fresh water and the remaining 5g baking soda. Ensure that the chickpeas are covered with at least a 3cm layer of water. Once boiling, cover with a lid and simmer over a low heat. The chickpeas are ready when they start to fall apart, about 45 minutes but don't be alarmed if it takes double the amount of time.

Drain the chickpeas but make sure you save all the cooking water. Allow to cool slightly and blend the chickpeas in a food processor. Add the garlic, raw tahini, and the juice of 1 lemon. Blend for at least 10 minutes in the food processor. Add small amounts of the reserved cooking liquid to thin the hummus. Make sure to leave it a little thicker than the creamy puree it will eventually become.

Season with about 1 teaspoon salt and a little extra lemon if necessary. Only when the hummus is perfectly seasoned, then you can thin it down for the last time with some of the reserved cooking liquid.

If you're not going to eat the hummus immediately, store covered in the refrigerator. Taste the hummus before your serve it. It will most likely need a little extra salt and lemon juice and a touch of the cooking liquid to get the right consistency.

Smear the hummus with the rounded part of a spoon neatly on to a plate. Make crator in the middle. The trick is to hold the spoon still while your turn the plate. Garnish the hummus with parsley leaves, the toasted seeds and olive oil.

You can also garnish with cooked chickpeas, parsley and paprika powder, slow cooked pulled beef or hard cooked eggs.


Lamb Chop with Hummus and Feta

Spring is here and lamb is now at it's best. It lends itself well to many different cooking methods and flavours, the most well known being mint, garlic and rosemary. Here we've taken a  mediterranean influence to our dish, with flavours the really compliment one another.

Serves 4

 Ingredients
4 lamb chops
2 aubergines
2 red onions
2 tins chickpeas
1 lemon
100 g piece feta
1 bunch mint
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons sunflower oil
salt
pepper

Method
1
Slice the aubergines and finely slice the red onions. Place the red onion in a bowl with lemon juice to taste, 2 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.
2
Drain the liquid from the chickpeas and place them in a jug or tall container. Crumble in half the feta, add 2-4 tablespoons water and blend with a stick blender. Heat a frying pan with 3 tablespoons sunflower oil and fry the aubergine slices until golden. Season with salt and pepper.
3
Heat a grill pan with 3 tablespoons sunflower oil. Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper and grill for about 3 minutes on each side.
4
Pick the mint leaves and finely shred. Mix through the red onion relish. Divide the hummus between 4 plates and lay a lamb chop on top. Serve with the red onion relish and aubergines.


Sir Hummus

In Amsterdam's ever more popular Pijp district, Sir Hummus opened their doors at the beginning of January 2015.

Founded by Guy, Dori & Lior, their quest has been to search for the perfect hummus.

Guy and Lior moved to Holland to study. During this time, Guy developed a passion for making hummus. After much experimenting, he found the perfect balance.

We walked in, drenched from one of the wettest days this year in Amsterdam. After warming up over a glass of mint tea, we ordered bowls of smooth, creamy hummus with delicious soft pita breads and Lior's vibrant red special salad. They only serve hummus 3 ways, au natural, with slow-cooked beef or with magic eggs!

The hummus is made with the greatest love and care. Dried chickpeas are soaked overnight, then cooked up and blended with Israeli tahini, lemon and cumin. We suspect that one of the secrets to this hummus's perfection is the addition of the cooking liquid while blending and balancing all the ingredients.

They also have a secret sauce, sharp and spicy. We suggest you use it with caution.

We'll definitely be back. This is pure, honest and real food - just the way we like it.

For more information, please visit Sir Hummus.


Roasted Pumpkin and Harissa Hummus

Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
5-6 tbsp tahini paste
1-2 tbsp harissa (we buy ours fresh from the Noordermarkt)
2 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
olive oil and smoked paprika, to finish
crisp breads, crackers and fresh vegetables, to serve

Method
Preheat oven to 200C. Place the butternut and garlic cloves on an oven tray. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss the ingredients well together and roast for about 45 minutes or until the butternut is really tender. Leave to cool.

Place the butternut into a Magimix (food processor) with any juices from the tin. Add the garlic cloves, squeezed out of their skins. Add the remaining ingredients, season with salt and blend to a paste. Add a little extra olive oil if needed.

Scrape the hummus into a bowl. Drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Serve with crostini, crisp breads, crackers and an assortiment of crudités (raw vegetables).

We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours