Fetteh - Moroccan Chick Pea with Crispy Flatbread

Ever since hearing about, and then dining at Morrocan Soup Bar not long ago, I have been wanting to try my own Fetteh.  The dish is affectionately known as "the chick pea thing from Moroccan Soup bar" - you can even succesfully Google that phrase, believe it or not.  I had a look at many a blogger's posts on their takes and wondered why I had never come across Fetteh before.  Well the secret's out - and I'm telling everybody, well, anyone who reads this blog, mostly!  The dish is called Moroccan Chickpea Bake but only baking done in my version is to crisp the flatbreads (still tasts pretty good though!)
In a nutshell, Fetteh is crispy flatbreads topped with spiced chickpea and seasoned yoghurt, finished with a garnish of burnt butter and almonds - in a word "Delish"  
When creating my version of Fetteh I decided that it called for the very best ingredients and I would somehow have to traverse the globe for these (cue the adventure theme music).    
My foodie friend and certified taste tester, Miss A was kind enough to source some very fine yoghurt - and she went all out.  The end product used was from Schulz Organic of Timboon in Victoria's south-west, (click on the name to find out more) and it was a delicious creamy yoghurt that just oozed "specialty".  
Next, the tahini was a product Lebanon, and I found it was oiler and runnier.  This is essential for combining with the yoghurt, as the harder the tahini, the more cumbersome the task of mixing.
The burnt butter came courtesy of the neighbours across the Tasman Sea - New Zealand.  It is a nutty and salted butter with a very creamy taste and just finished superbly when drizzled on this dish.
And finally, I would have to mention the sweet paprika hails from none other than, Hungary, and it's fragrance is one of my favourites.  
Of course you do not have to be as pedantic as me (I am a bit nuts when it comes to food!).  Source the best ingredients your budget allows, and most of these ingredients are readily available at supermarkets.  Thankfully, I have friends like Miss A - who is well versed in yoghurt culture (pun intended!), and access to European delicatessens and Middle Eastern groceries - it all makes my food journey more authentic.  The local supermarket, however, does have a few surprises these days, stocking their shelves with international goods that were a rarity to find not long ago.
I really liked how this dish turned out and especially how simple it was to prepare.  I am looking forward to a return visit to Moroccan Soup Bar to compare once again - but I think I hit the mark here with "My Rockin' Fetteh" (cue bad joke theme music).       

Ingredients, to serve four as a main
4 x Lebanese flatbreads 

Olive Oil
Grind of Salt

2 x Bay leaves
1 Stick X Cinnamon
3 x Cloves
2 x 400g tins Chickpeas, washed and drained
3 tsp x Baharat (see note)
250ml x Stock (Chicken or Vegetable if you want to keep this strictly vegetarian)½ tsp x Garlic powder
3 tbsp x Tahini paste
5 tbsp x Natural Yoghurt, (the best you can find)

50g x Butter, chilled and sliced (this assures even melting)

3 tbsp x Slivered Almonds, toasted

1 tsp x Sweet Paprika
Fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180C

Brush a little olive oil on the flatbread and bake till crisp (this can take up to 15 minutes)

Remove from oven, allow to cool, then break into shards and reserve

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep pan and add the bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves

Fry for 30 seconds then add the drained chickpeas and stir in the baharat  

Pour in the stock and bring to a gentle boil

Cook on medium heat for 10 -15 minutes or until the liquid reduces to a third
Sprinkle in the garlic powder and stir to mix through

In a small bowl beat the tahini and yoghurt together to a smooth mix

Remove the chick peas from the heat and discard whole spices
Fold through 2 tbsp of the tahini and yoghurt mix

When you are almost ready to serve prepare the burnt butter garnish

Heat the butter heating gently until it is is evenly melted, stir or shake the pan to assist
Once the frothy bubbling subsides then the butter will go from golden to brown very  quickly
Remove the butter from the heat when the colour changes to brown and it has a nutty fragrance
Stir in the toasted slivered almonds and reserve to a small bowl 

To assemble the dish, place the broken flatbread shallow serving dish 

Top with the warm chickpea mix followed by a drizzling of the remaining tahini and yoghurt mix
Sprinkle the paprika over the dish

Finally use a teaspoon to distribute the almonds 
And evenly pour on the burnt butter 
Add a final garnish of parsley and place in the centre of the table for everyone to dig in.

Note: Baharat translates to “spices” in Arabic and can be purchased from Middle Eastern grocers. For the Westerners it is packaged as the product Baharat spice which literally translates to “Spices Spice”. Since I have a well stocked spice cupboard, I make my own. See the recipe below. Baharat can also be used to flavour burger patties or even as a rub on lamb chops before they are grilled or barbequed.
Ingredients
2 tbsp x Black peppercorns
2 tbsp x Cumin seeds
1 tbsp x Coriander
1 tbsp x Cloves
½ tsp x Cardamom seeds, ground
1 stick x Cinnamon
2 tbsp x Sweet Paprika
1 tsp x Nutmeg powder
Directions

Place all whole spices into a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder then mix in the paprika and nutmeg
Store in an airtight jar

Date & Banana Squares with Almond Praline - my very own petit fours

Anyone with a sweet tooth loves cake.  In my case I like the idea of small individual cakes that are easily eaten and look a treat on a platter - wooing you to give in to any resistance.  Bananas are always going black and over ripe at our place and sometimes the regular banana bread just wont do.  I love pairing banana with caramel and with this in mind I came up with the idea for these delectable squares.  A moist date and banana cake at the base with a rich cream cheese frosting and then to top it off, a generous sprinkle of almond praline - just for the crunch.  These cakes are not baked individually, instead it starts as a whole square slice and with careful geometrical cuts, become an elegant petit four arrangement.

For the cake - bake a square of your favourite tried and tested banana cake, I particularly like this one as the cake was nice and firm when it came to portioning it into squares 

200g x Dried dates, chopped

¾ cup x Hot water

1 tsp x Bicarb Soda

200g x Butter, cubed

¾ cup x Caster sugar
2 x Eggs
2 x Ripe bananas, mashed
2 Tbsp x Lemon juice
2 cups x Plain flour, sifted with;
1 Tbsp x Baking powder
Directions

Preheat oven to 180°C and prepare a non stick 20cm square cake pan with baking paper
Combine the water, chopped dates and bicarb soda in a bowl, and set aside as it bubbles up
Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until  thick and pale 

Add eggs one at a time, beating again after each addition
Combine banana and lemon juice and add to butter mixture, stir through well. 

Fold in half the flour and baking powder to the wet mixture,

Followed by the dates and then the remaining flour mixture  

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan making sure to smooth the surface 

Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

When cooled completely, use a sharp bread knife to trim the edges of the cake, including the top  

Turn the cake upside down, the flat surface assists to spread the frosting evenly

Cream Cheese Frosting

125g x Cream Cheese, softened

50g x Butter, softened

1½ cups x Icing Sugar

1 tsp x Lemon Juice

Directions

With an electric beater, mix the cream cheese and butter until combined

Gradually beat in the icing sugar and the lemon juice until mixture is thick and firm

Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes then spread evenly onto the top of the cake

Use a rubber spatula to spread the frosting evenly

Almond Praline - you could make this while the cake bakes or even earlier as it will store well

½ cup x Caster Sugar

2 Tbsp x Water

¼ cup x Slivered Almonds, dry roasted for a few minutes in a hot pan

Directions

In a heavy non-stick saucepan combine the sugar and water

Place on medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves

Now increase heat to high and bring to the boil, do not stir

When mixture turns a golden caramel colour, remove from heat

Pour mixture directly onto a sheet of baking paper or silicone

Allow to stand for a minute before adding the almonds

Keep aside to cool completely then break into shards

Use a food processor to grind the praline shards into a coarse bread crumb like consistency 

Sprinkle the powdered praline generously over the iced cake and place the iced cake in the fridge for an hour to firm up nicely

Using a sharp bread knife carefully cut the cake into 16 squares 

Allow the cake to stand to room temperature before serving...Ooh La La!!!