Hummus Fatteh

Hummus fatteh is a dish that melds hummus with shards of crisped bread, yielding a superb mix of creamy and crunchy textures with earthy, nutty flavors. We tasted many versions of the dish during a recent visit to Amman, Jordan; our version combines the best qualities of our favorites. Though many restaurants now use regular, open-crumbed bread (for example, sub rolls) to make hummus fatteh, toasted flatbread is traditional and what we greatly prefer because its sturdy crispness stands up nicely to the hummus. We use pita bread and oven-bake the rounds before breaking them into bits and combining them with hummus made from canned chickpeas. A good dose of garlic, fresh green chilies, sumac and both lemon zest and juice spark up the flavors. Butter-toasted almonds are a typical—and delicious!—garnish. From home cook Rawan Mohamad Abuead we learned to use ghee for even more complex flavor; olive oil works well, too, but skip regular butter, as the milk solids have a tendency to scorch. Once the dish is assembled, serve it right away.