Recipes from the Mediterranean
We are pleased to bring to you some delicious Mediterranean recipes. We will be posting new recipes periodically here on our Terra Del Sol blog, so check back often! To kick off our recipes we are bringing you a few at once. One is for warm homemade pita bread and two yummy dips to enjoy with the bread.
-Melissa LMT
Pita Bread
Serves 10 loaves
Ingredients:
2½ cups (550 g) all purpose flour –plus additional flour for sprinkling
1¼ cups (275 ml) water – lukewarm
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
- In a cup or small bowl combine the yeast with ½ cup lukewarm water. Stir until the yeast is dissolved. Set aside for about 7 minutes to proof.
- Add 2½ cups flour to a bread or large mixing bowl. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon.
- Make a small well in the center of the flour and pour the yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix it with the flour until you get a compact dough.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured wooden surface and slowly add water as needed. Continue kneading the dough for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic and it doesn’t stick to your hands. At the end, shape it into a ball.
- Wipe a large bowl with half a tablespoon of olive oil. Place the dough in it and rub it gently against the bowl walls so as to cover it uniformly with olive oil. Cover with a tea towel. Put it in a warm draft free area and allow it to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in bulk.
- Punch the dough down and let it rise again for 10 minutes.
- Cut the dough into 10 pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball.
- Sprinkle a little flour on a wooden surface. With a wooden rolling pin, roll each ball into a flat round loaf 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter and about 1/8 inch (4.5 mm) thick. Cover the flattened dough rounds with a cloth and let them rise a little bit for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450°F (230ºC). Slightly flour a baking sheet and place it in the oven for 5 minutes. Now place the first batch of dough rounds on a baking sheet. Bake on the lower rack for 3 minutes or until the dough forms a puffed up ball. Turn it over and leave in the oven for about 2 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and stack the pita bread loaves on top of each other. Wrap the pita bread loaves in a clean tea towel until ready to serve. This will keep them warm and soft.
Mediterranean-food-recipes.com
Lima Bean Spread with Cumin & Herbs
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients:
1 10-ounce package frozen lima beans
4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Directions:
1. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lima beans, garlic and crushed red pepper; cook until the beans are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool in the liquid.
2. Drain the beans and garlic. Transfer to a food processor. Add oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper; process until smooth. Scrape into a bowl, stir in mint, cilantro and dill.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Nutrition Information:
Per tablespoon: 25 calories; 1 g fat (0 g sat, 1 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 3 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 56 mg sodium.
0 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: Free food
Eatingwell.com
Hummus
Serves 6 to 8 as appetizer
- 5 cups cooked chick peas (garbanzo beans) – about 5 cups cooked
- 1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
- 3/4 cup lemon juice – freshly pressed
- 3 cloves garlic – peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup water (use chickpea cooking water, if you have it available) – optional
- 2 or more tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat Italian parsley – as garnish
Directions:
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes (not counting cooking the chick peas)
- Place the cooked chick peas, tahini, fresh lemon juice, peeled garlic cloves and salt in a blender or food processer and blend into a thick paste. Add water as needed. Take care not to liquidize the garbanzo beans.
- A few minutes before serving the hummus, decorate it with the chopped parsley. Drizzle olive oil in the center.
- Serve at room temperature, or refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled.
- Mediterranean-food-recipes.com