“After a weekend of catering three different events with three completely different and rather complicated menus I thought it would be good to post my favourite simple stand-by recipe. I came up with this recipe years ago when I started making hummus from scratch (when I realised it’s so much better than the store-bought varieties!). I needed a dish that I could prepare in the morning and throw into the oven when I got home. It’s also really easy to modify by substituting different vegetables such and capsicum or eggplant. I sometimes do it in small ramekins for a more formal occasion but usually I just bring it to the table in the baking dish and let everyone dig in! It may not look pretty but the flavours are sensational! Enjoy!”
Hummus Ingredients
- 2 x 400g tins of chick peas
- 4 garlic cloves
- 6 tbsp tahini paste
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Rind of 1 lemon
- 3 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cup light olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Heat a small fry pan and add cumin seeds, stirring until they become fragrant. Grind with a mortar and pestle until reduced to a powder.
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add a small amount of water if it’s too thick and season to taste.
Hummus chicken ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 red onion
- 6 medium mushrooms
- 2 zucchini
- 1 quantity of hummus
- 850g chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper
- Parmesan cheese
- Prepare all your ingredients. Finely slice potatoes (I use a mandolin on the thinnest setting). Slice onion into rings. Slice mushrooms. Slice zucchini lengthwise into 4mm strips. Cut chicken thighs into quarters.
- Grease a baking dish and put a layer of potato and red onion at the bottom.
- Follow this with a layer of mushrooms and cover with the zucchini.
- Spread some of the hummus (about a cup) over the zucchini in an even layer.
- Spread the chicken on top and cover with another layer of hummus.
- Finish with a layer of potato, season with salt and pepper and some Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the oven at 200 degrees c for 45-60 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the topping is golden.
- Serve with a green salad, crusty bread to soak up the sauce and vegetables.
