This hummus is made with the stalks of swiss chard and it closely resembles baba ghannouj in taste. It is composed of only stalks, tahini, a touch of garlic and lemon juice. It is made in the communities that prepared rolled swiss chard leaves with meat and rice stuffing; instead of throwing away the stalks (which are too thick to roll anyway), folks recycle them this way. It is served traditionally alongside the stuffed chard leaves.
You may wish to pour a light filet of olive oil on the dip, which is also traditional; the dip is served with pita bread.
In the community I was brought up in, the stalks were prepared by cutting them in inch-size pieces, boiling them and serving them with a tahini sauce. (I used to hate this dish, however, prepared this way I could eat the entire bowl).
INGREDIENTS: 4 servings as a dip
- 2 cups of cut-up swiss chard stalks
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 3 tbsp of tahini
- 1 tsp of mashed garlic
- salt, to taste
- olive oil, to garnish
- Cut the stalks of the swiss chard into half-inch pieces; place in a saucepan with a little water and boil gently (or steam) till tender. Drain and transfer to the bowl of a food processor.
- Add the tahini, garlic and lemon juice and purée the mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving dish, add a filet of olive oil if desired and serve with pita bread.
