Mediterranean Beer Cuisine

Mediterranean cuisine is full of bright and bold flavors: lemon, garlic, herbs, yogurt, beans, grains and vegetables. These diverse regional ingredients pair exceptionally well with hoppy beers, which enhance those herbal Mediterranean flavors. Try making the very easy pita beer bread—add some beer hummus, then stuff with za’atar-roasted eggplant, roasted asparagus and harissa (look up my recipe from the January 2009 issue of BeerAdvocate), crumbled feta cheese, marinated artichoke hearts and/or marinated chicken, lamb, fish or shellfish to make a flavorful and healthy Mediterranean sandwich. From sandwiches and salads, to side dishes and entrees, the building blocks are yours to embellish.

Pita Beer Bread
Fresh pita bread isn’t always easy to find, but it’s very easy to make.

Makes: 8 pitas

Ingredients:
1/4 cup water, 120°F
1 tbsp barley malt syrup (LME)
1 tsp instant yeast
1 cup beer, more on the malty side: Brown Ale, Copper Ale, Scottish Ale, etc
1 cup bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup barley flour, ground
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour (sometimes called Besin)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
extra flour for dusting, kneading, rolling

Directions:
Fill a liquid measuring cup with the hot water and stir in the barley malt syrup to combine. Add the yeast and stir again, letting the yeast rehydrate and become active. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes, until the yeast start to foam.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the yeast mixture and the beer. Measure out the flours into the bowl, and add the olive oil and salt. Fit the mixer with a dough hook and on low speed, let the ingredients combine to become a dough, about 5 minutes. The dough shouldn’t be too sticky or wet, nor to dry. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes with the mixer off, and then continue to knead the dough for another 5 minutes on low. (Allowing the dough to rest and then re-kneading it will help it to develop more gluten from the flour.) Remove the dough (forming it into a large round ball) and place into a medium-sized bowl lightly coated with olive oil; turn to evenly coat the ball with the oil. Cover the bowl with a damp hot kitchen towel and place in a warm (70-80°F) area for about an hour to rise.

The dough is ready when it deflates slightly at the touch, but doesn’t bounce right back. Weigh the dough and divide into 8 equal-sized rounds. (This recipe yields about one 800-gram ball, making the individual pitas 100 grams each.) Using the palm of the hand, place the round ball of dough onto a work surface and pressing somewhat firmly, in a several circular motions, creating a round ball of dough that is smooth and has no creases. If the dough is sticky, add a touch of flour to the work surface. Place onto a sheet tray and repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the dough balls with a damp towel and let rise again for 30 minutes.

As the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 425°F. Use a pizza or baking stone to cook the pita bread on, or if you do not have a baking stone, use a cast iron skillet or griddle. Have a small bowl of flour ready, along with a rolling pin. When the dough is ready, place a dough round into the flour bowl, coating lightly on all sides, shaking off any excess flour. Place in the center of the work surface and press down with your finger tips to flatten the dough out and remove most of the CO2 (from the rising), forming a round circle.

Next, using the rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 7- to 8-inch circle. Roll one side, then flip the dough, rotate 90 degrees and roll again. The dough should be rolled out to about 1/8 of an inch thick. Move to the side of the work space and roll out another dough round. Set a timer for 3 minutes, quickly open the oven door, spritz the inside of the oven with a spray bottle filled with water, place a rolled-out pita dough onto the baking stone or cast iron skillet in a single layer, and close the door. As the dough bakes, it will puff up and form a slightly dry skin, but should not become dark brown, which will result in a dry and over-baked pita. Remove from the oven. Place the cooked pita on a clean towel, covering to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining dough. Serve the pita as soon as possible, or let cool completely and then store in a large plastic bag to prevent drying out.

Variations:
• If barley and garbanzo flours are hard to find, just use 1 1/2 cups each of bread and whole wheat flour. The finished texture will be different, but still very good.
• To make pita chips, let the pitas cool, then cut the cooked pita into eighths and lightly brush each with olive oil, sprinkling with a little kosher salt. Arrange in a single layer in the oven and bake (425°F) for about 8–10 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Allow to cool, and serve with the beer hummus or any other Mediterranean-type dip.

Photo by Sean Z. Paxton

Beer Hummus
Hummus is one of the most diverse food products out there. It can be used as a spread in a pita, on any sandwich, as a dip for a crudité, or as a side dish with baba ganoush. It is rich in fiber, full of flavor and versatile in how it can be seasoned.

Makes: 20 ounces

Ingredients:
1/4 lb. garbanzo beans, fresh
1 lb. fava beans, fresh
3–4 each garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp cashews, raw, preferably soaked 6 hours in cold water
3 tbsp hemp seeds, hulled
2 tbsp sesame seeds, white, raw
15 oz garbanzo beans, canned, preferably organic, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp shoyu, tamari or soy sauce
2 tbsp oil (walnut, pistachio or olive)
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup beer (Pale Ale, IPA, Double IPA, more on the citrusy side)

Directions:
Fill a large pot with water, season lightly with sea salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove all of the fresh garbanzo beans from their pods and set aside. For the fava beans, first open the whole pod and remove the beans. There is a second skin that will need to be removed, but it is much easier to do this after they have been blanched for 3–4 minutes. Place the garbanzo beans into the boiling water and cook them for about 5 minutes, or until just cooked through. Strain them, using a skimmer and place into cold water to cool. Add the fava beans to the boiling water, then remove and place into a bowl of ice water to shock them. Now peel the outside coating of the bean and place the tender bright green fava with the blanched garbanzo beans.

In the bowl of a food processor, add the garlic, cashews, hemp seeds and sesame seeds together. Pulse several times, until the mixture is broken down to a coarse sand consistency. Add the blanched garbanzo beans, fava and cooked or canned garbanzo beans. Pulse several times, then scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and repeat the pulses. As the mixture turns into a paste, turn the food processor on and add the shoyu, oil, salt and hoppy beer using the down tube of the work bowl. Continue to process until the mixture is a smooth paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Taste the hummus, adjust the seasoning if needed and assess the texture. It should be smooth, still holding its shape on a spoon, not appearing too runny. If more liquid is needed, then add a tablespoon of beer at a time to get to the right consistency.

Transfer the mixture to a jar or container and keep refrigerated till ready to use. The hummus will last up to 5 days, getting better after the first day as the flavors have more time to meld together.

Variations: Frozen fava, edamame or peas can be substituted for the fresh garbanzo and fava beans. Instead of a hoppy beer, a malty brew can be used to add more sweetness, and a few chipotle or other peppers can be added for heat.

Za’atar Roasted Eggplant
Crisp and loaded with Mediterranean flavor, this roasted eggplant can be used in a salad, a wrap, stuffed into a pita or served as a side dish alongside any meal.

Makes: about 3 cups of roasted eggplant

Ingredients:
1 each eggplant, medium size, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp za’atar seasoning
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp smoked paprika (or pimentón)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F (perfect to cook this as the pita dough is in its second rising). In a medium-sized bowl, add the cubed eggplant (with or without the skin, depending on what you like) and sprinkle evenly with the olive oil, za’atar seasoning, salt and smoked paprika. Toss to coat evenly and place onto a sheet tray. Arrange the eggplant into a single layer, with as much room between each cube as possible. Place into the oven, on the bottom shelf. Roast the seasoned eggplant for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven, stir to ensure an even cooking/browning and place back into the oven for about 10 more minutes or until the eggplant is evenly browned. Remove from the oven, transfer to a bowl and keep warm until ready to serve.

Roasted Asparagus
Asparagus is an unusual vegetable. If overcooked, it be a sad and stringy mess. If cooked right, it will enhance the whole meal. The technique below is easy and simple to do, and results in amazing asparagus. Try pairing this with a hoppy IPA.

Makes: 1 lb. of asparagus

Ingredients:
1 lb. asparagus, fresh, washed
2–3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash the asparagus and trim off the bottom inch to an inch and a half of each stalk. Dry the asparagus on paper towels and transfer to a sheet tray. Coat the asparagus with the olive oil and toss to evenly distribute the oil. Season with salt, place into the upper shelf of the oven and roast for 5–6 minutes; the asparagus should be bright green and slightly golden brown on the tops of the flowers. Remove from the oven and serve immediately, or cool and use as a side vegetable. ■