- A 150g pot of plain flour
- A pinch of dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 garlic cloves
- A 400g tin of chickpeas
- 1 lettuce
- ½ cucumber
- 1 red onion
- 1 lemon
- A 40g sachet of tahini
- A handful of flat leaf parsley
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1½ tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
- 3-5 tbsp warm water
- A couple of bowls
- Sieve
- Pan with a lid
- Food processor
- Frying pan
- 1.
Sift the flour into a bowl. Take out 1 tbsp and set aside for later. Add a pinch of salt, a pinch of chilli flakes, 1 tsp fennel seeds, ½ tbsp oil and 3-5 tbsp warm water. Mix till it forms a soft but not too sticky dough.
- 2.
Turn the dough out of the bowl. Knead for 2-3 mins till it’s soft and supple. Cover the dough with the bowl. Leave for 10 mins to rest.
- 3.
Peel the garlic. Tip the chickpeas into a pan along with the water from the tin. Quarter fill the tin with water. Pour that into the pan. Add the garlic. Cover. Bring to the boil. Boil for 5-6 mins till the garlic is soft.
- 4.
Shred the lettuce. Dice half the cucumber. Peel and dice the onion. Grate or pare the zest from the lemon. Roughly chop the parsley. Pop all the veg and most of the parsley in a bowl. Zest the lemon. Add the zest and squeeze in the juice from half of the lemon. Season and toss together.
- 5.
Lift the chickpeas and garlic out of the pan with a slotted spoon (keep the water). Pop into a food processor. Add the tahini, 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt. Squeeze in the juice from the remaining lemon half. Pulse to a paste, adding a splash of the reserved water if it’s too thick. Taste and season the houmous if needed.
- 6.
Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Dust your work surface with the reserved flour. Roll the dough out to make very thin rounds. Warm a dry frying pan. Add a flatbread. Cook for 1-2 mins. Flip. Cook for 1-2 mins till golden.
- 7.
Repeat till all the flatbreads are cooked. When each one is done, pop them on a plate. Cover with a clean tea towel to keep them warm and soft. Spoon the houmous into a warm bowl. Drizzle with 1 tsp oil and sprinkle with the chilli flakes and the remaining chopped parsley. Serve the houmous with the flatbreads and salad.
- Tip
In a pickle
Make a quick pickle out of your leftover cucumber. Halve it, scrape out the seeds and roughly chop it. Mix together 2 tbsp vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp sea salt with a pinch of chilli flakes. Add the cucumber and leave for at last 30 mins. The pickled cucumber will keep in the fridge for around 1 week.