Fatteh

About This Recipe

Fatteh — from the Arabic for breaking bread into pieces — is the Levant's great architecture of leftovers turned luxury: a base of crisped pita, a layer of warm spiced chickpeas, a blanket of garlicky tahini-yogurt, and a final flourish of butter-toasted pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, and herbs. In Lebanon it is weekend breakfast food, Ramadan food, and a mezze showpiece, always assembled at the last minute so each spoonful delivers crunch, cream, and warmth together. The version here balances the three layers carefully: pita toasted dry and golden so it resists the sauce, chickpeas warmed in seasoned liquid so they stay plump, and a yogurt sauce loosened just enough to cascade between the layers rather than sit on top.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 2 canschickpeas (400g each), drained
• 3pita breads, torn into pieces
• 2 cupsfull-fat yogurt
• 2 clovesgarlic, minced
• 2 tbsptahini
• 2 tbsplemon juice
• 1/4 cuptoasted pine nuts
• 1/4 cuppomegranate seeds
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 1 tsppaprika
• 2 tbspfresh parsley

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast pita

   Tear the pita into bite-sized shards, brush or toss them lightly with oil, and bake at 180°C for about 10 minutes, turning once, until uniformly golden and completely crisp — any pale, bendy pieces will turn to mush under the yogurt. Frying in shallow oil is the richer traditional alternative.

   Toast the pita until it is crisper than feels necessary; it is the structural foundation of the whole dish.

2. 2

   Warm chickpeas

   Simmer the drained chickpeas gently in a saucepan with a splash of water, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of cumin for about 5 minutes, until heated through and slightly softened. Keep them warm in a little of their liquid — warm chickpeas against cool yogurt is part of fatteh's signature temperature contrast.

3. 3

   Make yogurt sauce

   Whisk the yogurt with the minced garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and a good pinch of salt until smooth and pourable — about the consistency of thick cream. If it is stiff, loosen it with a spoonful of the warm chickpea liquid so it will flow down between the bread layers.

   Take the yogurt out of the fridge 20 minutes ahead; ice-cold sauce on warm chickpeas dulls the whole dish.

4. 4

   Assemble

   Working just before serving, spread the crisp pita over a deep platter and moisten it with a ladleful of the warm chickpea liquid. Spoon the chickpeas over, pour the yogurt sauce across everything, then finish with the hot pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, and a dusting of paprika.

Variations

• •

  Fatteh bil lahme: top with browned spiced ground lamb and extra pine nuts for the festive meat version.

• •

  Chicken fatteh: layer in shredded poached chicken between the chickpeas and yogurt for a full meal.

• •

  Eggplant fatteh: replace half the chickpeas with cubes of fried or roasted eggplant, a beloved Damascene-Lebanese variant.

• •

  Drizzle pomegranate molasses over the top for a sweet-tart finish that cuts the richness.

Storage

Assembled fatteh does not keep — the bread softens within the hour. Store components separately instead: crisped pita airtight at room temperature for 3 days, the yogurt sauce and cooked chickpeas refrigerated for 3 days, and assemble fresh each time.

Frequently Asked Questions