KITCHEN DISH SHELF RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Toss the pita with the za’atar, 2 tablespoons of oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and spread out on a medium, parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for 12 minutes, tossing halfway, or until golden and crispy. Set aside to cool.

  2. Set aside 100g of the beans in a medium bowl. Put the remaining beans, 600ml of water and 1 teaspoon of salt into a medium saucepan on a medium high heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, or until the beans are nicely softened and warmed through. Keep warm on a low heat until ready to serve.

  3. Make the tahini sauce by whisking together all the ingredients with 70ml of water and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl, until smooth and pourable. It will thicken as it sits.

  4. Make the chilli oil by putting the oil and chilli flakes into a small frying pan and placing it on a medium heat. Cook for 4 minutes, then add the paprika and remove the pan from the heat. Set aside.

  5. Put the reserved 100g of beans into a food processor, along with the herbs, cumin, garlic, lemon juice, the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, ? teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Blitz until smooth, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.

  6. Drain the warm beans in a sieve set over a bowl, then add them and 100ml of their cooking liquid to the herb mixture, mixing well to combine. You want the beans to be well coated and for the whole mixture to be saucy (but not overly wet), so add a couple of tablespoons more of the cooking liquid if you wish (discarding the remainder).

  7. Transfer to a large, lipped platter and drizzle over half the tahini sauce and all the chilli oil. Sprinkle with half the pita and serve warm, with the extra tahini and pita alongside.

  Make it your own:

  – Play with your beans – we love this with chickpeas too.

  – Play with your herbs – use what you have on hand.