Hummus with Lemon, Fried Garlic and Chile

Ingredients for Hummus::

1 15½-oz. can chickpeas

1 large lemon

1 garlic clove

½ cup tahini, well mixed

¾ tsp. (or more) kosher salt

10 cranks freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp. ground cumin

3 Tbsp.  Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling

Directions for hummus:

Start by prepping all of your ingredients: Drain 15½ oz. chickpeas in a strainer or colander and rinse thoroughly. Let drain again while you do the other prep.

Cut 1 lemon in half, remove any visible seeds, and squeeze juice into a small bowl. You should have 3–4 Tbsp.

Smash 1 garlic clove with the flat side of your knife on a cutting board and remove peel. Continue to mash with side of knife until a paste forms. (You can also grate garlic on a microplane if you have one—you're just looking for a fine paste.)

Combine drained chickpeas, 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, garlic, ½ cup tahini, ¾ tsp. salt, 10 cracks pepper, ¼ tsp. cumin, and 2 Tbsp. water in a food processor.

Process until smooth, about 1 minute.

With the motor running, stream in 3 Tbsp. oil, then continue to process until hummus is very light and creamy, about 1 minute longer. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.

Transfer hummus to a shallow bowl, top with infused oil.

Do Ahead: Hummus can be made 4 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and chill.

Infused Oil with Fried Aromatics:

Ingredients:

6 Tbl Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 red chilies, seeded and finely sliced

3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

½ oz ginger, peeled and julienned

2 cinnamon sticks

½ oz. cilantro sprigs, cut into short lengths

Flake sea salt

Crusty bread or crackers to serve.

Directions: for Infused Oil with Fried Aromatics:

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the chiles, garlic, ginger and cinnamon and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring every once in a while, to separate the garlic slices, until the garlic is just becoming fragrant. Add the cilantro and fry for 1 more minutes until garlic starts to change color and chilies are aromatic. Transfer the aromatics to a plate with a slotted spoon and sprinkle them generously with salt.

Spoon hummus onto a large platter, creating a shallow well in the center with the back of the spoon. Top the aromatics  and serve with bread.

Za’atar Butter Flatbreads

Ingredients:

3 Tbl butter

1 Tbl Za’atar

4 Flat Breads

Directions:

Pre heat your oven to 350. Put flat breads on a sheet pan and bake for 19 minutes to get the bread crisp.

Combine the butter and za’atar in a small saucepan over medium. Cook until the butter is bubbling and the seeds are just beginning to color, about 30 seconds.

Spread on crispy flat bread and cut into triangles.