Nachos Lebanese-style
March 25, 2010 • Category: Mezze/Appetizers
I have lived in Texas a long, long time; and it is virtually impossible to live in Texas and not to become enamored with Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine!
Nachos are the star of Tex-Mex food! There is no one in Texas that does not love an order of nachos to nibble on at a football game or at any gathering; they are irresistible. Fried tortilla chips, refried beans cooked in lard, melted gooey cheese spread on top dripping everywhere, a sprinkle of jalapeño peppers and you are in hog heaven.
I am going to make these nachos, Lebanese-style,(on the lighter side).
My Lebanese Nachos are based on what is called fatteh in Lebanese cuisine; a layering of meat or legume or vegetable with toasted pita croutons and a final layer of garlicky yogurt topped with toasted pine nuts and almonds.
INGREDIENTS: 6 servings
- 2 cans of chick peas (or boil one cup of chick peas, soaked overnight with a teaspoon of baking soda)
- olive oil as needed
- ground cumin
- pinch of allspice, cinnamon, salt, pepper
- 8 cloves of garlic (use to taste) mashed in a mortar (preferably) with a pinch of salt
- 1 pound of lowfat yogurt
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of tahini
- 1/4 cup of pine nuts, fried until caramel-colored in a dab of butter or olive oil
METHOD:
Step 1: Cut and toast the pita chips
- Using kitchen scissors, cut the pita breads in even triangles; place on a baking sheet and toast in a 300F oven till crisp and dry, about 20 minutes.
Step 2: Cooking and seasoning the chick peas
- Rinse the chick peas well and place back in a pot with about 3 cups of water; cook for a long time until they become really tender; when the mixture is soupy and boiling add a few ice cubes and wiggle the mixture with two wooden spoons to release a bunch of skins and discard all the skins you get a hold of; that is an optional step, you can also eat the skins, no problem! Boil all the water out.
- Use a potato masher or an immersion blender and mash a good portion of the beans. Keep a few whole for looks; add some olive oil (as much as you like) and a generous pinch of cumin, a smaller pinch of allspice and cinnamon and black pepper. Add the mashed garlic to taste. I like A LOT, so there is no rule here. You want the mixture to be thick and a bit on the dry side so it will adhere to the pita chips.
Step 3:Prepare the yogurt topping
- Pour the yogurt into a bowl; add the mashed garlic (I used about 3 cloves) with salt and one generous tablespoon of tahini. Mix well, taste and set aside.
ASSEMBLY:
- Place all the pita chips on a serving platter; plop a tablespoon of chick pea mash on each chip; right before serving, plop a generous tablespoon of yogurt and sprinkle some toasted pine nuts. Serve.
Comments
49 Comments • Comments Feed
Lisa says:
What an absolutely brilliant idea and they look delicious! If MIddle Eastern restaurants (or places like Fridays, for that matter) saw this, they’d pilfer it right off your page! lol Beautiful recipe, beautiful lady, beautiful blog 🙂
On March 25, 2010 at 3:20 pm
tobias cooks! says:
I love your version of Nachos. With Tahini…great.
On March 25, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Kitchen Butterfly says:
I love them…..great starters and eat enough for a filling main!!!!!!!!
On March 25, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Chris says:
That’s awesome… we made fatta a couple years ago and called them middle eastern nachos… 🙂
http://www.weheartfood.com/2008/04/lamb-and-spinach-fatta-fattet-sabanikh.html
On March 25, 2010 at 5:07 pm
Faith says:
This is such a clever idea, I’ve got to try it! I love how they look like nachos but are actually much healthier!
On March 25, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Erica says:
Those Lebanese nachos look fantastic! I love tahini……I have to try these. I am loving Lebanese food 🙂
On March 25, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Joanne says:
Although I do like tex-mex. I have to say that I like your nachos better. tahini just speaks to me way more than saturated fat does. What can I say…
On March 25, 2010 at 6:27 pm
sophia says:
This is awesome. Can I tell you how much I LOVE fusion food? The amount of incredible, novel creations you can come up with is stunning.
On March 25, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Christine @ Fresh Local and Best says:
I know what you mean about the Tex Mex influence, you can’t go anywhere without adding a touch of Tex Mex in the lone star state.
This looks like a GREAT snack!
On March 25, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Sook @ My Fabulous Recipes says:
I’m loving all your Lebanese recipes! These look scrumptious!
On March 25, 2010 at 9:50 pm
noobcook says:
I love nachos and I definitely love your fat-free version with pine nuts and yoghurt! very pretty!
On March 25, 2010 at 9:55 pm
Toni says:
I absolutely love this idea! Hysterical to think of this as Tex-Mex, but however you want to label it, it looks scrumptious…
On March 25, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Sushma Mallya says:
this is a complete differently different nachos, but just loved it….nice change from the usual …lovely clicks and very nice recipe…
On March 25, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Adele says:
Ooh, how my gallbladder loves the phrase “minus all that fat”! Looks fabulous, thank you.
On March 25, 2010 at 11:49 pm
Ivy says:
I prefer these Lebanese nachos as they are closer to my taste preferences and would definitely like to try them.
On March 26, 2010 at 1:06 am
MaryMoh says:
You are creative! I love it….delicious and easy to prepare. Great for parties, too.
On March 26, 2010 at 3:09 am
Doc says:
Wow, those look great! Is the yogurt greek or more like standard US yogurt?
On March 26, 2010 at 5:06 am
Jessica @ Healthy Exposures says:
Oh my WORD, these look too good! I never would have thought to use chickpeas & pita chips for nachos. I am in love!! And the yogurt topping?? Can’t wait to try!!
On March 26, 2010 at 5:19 am
kim says:
Chickpeas anything, I’m there!
On March 26, 2010 at 6:15 am
Katie@Cozydelicious says:
These look wonderful! I’m so glad you posted this – since you mentioned Lebanese nachos I’ve been fantisizing about what they might look like. What’s not to love here? Crunchy, tasty, creamy… and without all that Tex-Mex fried and fat-laden guilt! Thank you!
On March 26, 2010 at 7:15 am
Arlette says:
Love your Fatteh, what a creative idea to serve it as nachos…
I made the tahini version the other day, still need to work on the posting.
I made my yogurt and now I am going to do the home made shanklish… it will take a week to rippen… will be ready for after Easter….
for sure i will do a step by step posting.
On March 26, 2010 at 7:24 am
Devaki says:
Hi Joumana – I love your creativity fusing lebanese cuisine with age old classics from around the world. How lovely!
Your flavors are so clean and refreshing. What’s not to love?
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
On March 26, 2010 at 10:03 am
Maninas says:
hey, i saw this bitersweet post about Dubrovnik and thought of you: http://thrumykitchenwindow.blogspot.com/2010/03/discovering-dubrovnik.html. I loved Mariana’s beautiful writing.
On March 26, 2010 at 10:11 am
Natashya says:
Very creative! I love that these are lighter and healthier too.
On March 26, 2010 at 10:55 am
Nadjibella says:
Ce qui s’appelle une cuisine sans frontières.
Tout est revu autrement et le résultat est fabuleux.
A bientôt.
On March 26, 2010 at 11:10 am
5 Star Foodie says:
Love this nachos makeover! Will make these for my husband!
On March 26, 2010 at 11:16 am
Mimi says:
Fabulous idea. Quick and easy to make too.
Mimi
On March 26, 2010 at 11:26 am
Julie says:
Je suis fan des nachos en effet, ta version doit être aussi très bonne (et moins culpabilisante!). Très bonne idée de l’avoir revu “à ta sauce”!
Gros bisous!
On March 26, 2010 at 11:28 am
Stella says:
This is genius. I made nachos the other night. Despite using organic blue corn chips, unprocessed cheese along with organic veggies, I was still so tired and bloated the next day. I don’t like waking up feeling that way. This is a great, healthy idea, Joumana, and I suppose it could be tweaked to taste….
On March 26, 2010 at 11:30 am
A Canadian Foodie says:
What a logical, simple, yet innovative and outrageously looking snack! YUM. I have to figure our how to sign up with you through e-mail.
🙂
I don’t want to miss anything.
Happy Easter… or Spring!
valerie
On March 26, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Sanura says:
Your website is a great find and this recipe… looks like a great appetizer!
On March 26, 2010 at 4:09 pm
marla says:
Very nice recipe, I always have these ingredients on hand. Your blog is lovely! Great recipes and information.
On March 26, 2010 at 9:03 pm
The KitchenMasochist says:
How creative! Who would have thought there was such a thing as wholesome nachos?
Thanks for visiting my site or else I never would have found yours. : )
My parents used to holiday in Beirut during its glory days as the “Paris of the Middle East” in the 70’s when we lived in nearby Iran. They have very fond memories of Beirut.
On March 26, 2010 at 10:48 pm
sweetlife says:
great nachos yes we texans are serious nachos consumers…haha great i love it
sweetlife
On March 27, 2010 at 12:27 am
shayma says:
delicious and a wonderful appetiser for a party. x shayma
On March 27, 2010 at 9:15 am
Mathai says:
I never thought of making Nachos out of Khubz, great idea! thanks 🙂
On March 28, 2010 at 12:58 am
Michelle says:
Never have liked American Nachos but Lebanese Nachos…you betcha!!
On March 28, 2010 at 9:52 am
Food Jihadist says:
Love this. I grew up in Arizona, and I believe that Tex-Mex, Southwestern, and Mexican food can inspire Middle Eastern cuisine. Will have to try a Mex – Egyptian version. Cheers!
On March 28, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Elizabeth says:
Lebanese Nachos!! who would have thought. I’m sold. Nachos are by far my favourite food of all time. thanks for the recipe!
On March 28, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Viviane, Taste-Buds says:
This is a very creative idea for Fatteh! I mean who would have thought that there is a way to sever it as appetizers in a party or even instead of chips when friends are visiting. Much healthier, just as tasty and no fat!
On March 29, 2010 at 3:59 am
Grapefruit says:
What a brilliant idea! And beautiful photos to boot.
This is my first visit to your blog – thanks for the inspiration!
On March 29, 2010 at 5:05 am
HistoryOf GreekFood says:
They are much better than the original nachos!
On March 29, 2010 at 9:36 am
Kate Zaidan says:
So cute! Fetteh is probably my all-time favorite breakfast, second only to kishk. Great to read another Lebanese food blogger!
On March 31, 2010 at 2:01 pm
heni says:
Now these are my kinda nachos!
On March 31, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Julia @ Mélanger says:
Wow, this looks so delicious. I have a weakness for chickpeas so would devour this, for sure!
On April 5, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Valerie says:
this looks like totally food heaven to me ! 😉
On May 1, 2010 at 12:31 pm