Crackers & Dips (11 page)

¼ cup/60 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Using a mortar and pestle or clean spice grinder, grind the savory, thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, and salt until the mixture is finely ground and fragrant.

Cut each pita bread into eight wedge-shaped pieces and peel apart the layers to make two thinner pieces of bread out of each wedge. Arrange the wedges closely together in an even layer on two baking sheets. Brush the wedges with the olive oil and sprinkle with the ground spices. Bake the chips until they are golden brown and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets once from top to bottom and from front to back and stirring the wedges while baking. Cool the chips on cooling racks before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat the chips in a 350°F/180°C/gas 4 oven for 4 minutes before serving after they have been cooled.

PAPPADAMS THREE WAYS

A
pappadam
(a.k.a. papad, poppadum, appalam) is a crisp, wafer-thin cracker made from ground lentils. In Indian cuisine they are often served as appetizers with little bowls of chutneys for dipping or as a crisp counterpoint to rich curries.

Pappadams come in fragile, brittle disks of about 15 per pack in either plain or seasoned varieties such as chile, cumin seed, or black pepper. My favorite brand is Lijat Papad—you’ll know them by their peculiar label, showing a chubby boy and a possessed pink bunny inexplicably sneaking up behind him. Take care when transporting and storing the crackers; they shatter quite easily.

Pappadams can be cooked in a variety of ways, with each method lending a different flavor and texture to the crackers. Shallow-frying makes for a slightly larger, puffed cracker; microwaving them lends a crisper, slightly more oily mouth-feel; and toasting them over a gas flame gives them a smoky flavor and attractive charred edges. All the methods outlined here take a matter of seconds, so you can have these crispy snacks at a moment’s notice. Serve them with Spicy Mint and Cilantro Chutney (
page 126
) or alongside your favorite curry.

EACH RECIPE MAKES 15 CRACKERS

SHALLOW-FRIED PAPPADAMS

¾ cup/180 ml vegetable oil

15 pappadams

Line a baking sheet with two layers of paper towels. In a 10-in/25-cm sauté pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until moderately hot—a small piece of a pappadam dropped into the oil will puff and turn golden brown within a second. Add one whole pappadam and fry, flipping once with tongs, until tiny bubbles appear all over the cracker and it has puffed and begins to turn very light golden brown, 5 to 10 seconds. Transfer the cracker to the paper towels and continue the process with the remaining pappadams, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid burning the crackers. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 1 day.

MICROWAVE PAPPADAMS

15 pappadams

2 tsp vegetable oil

Place two layers of paper towels in the center of the microwave. Lightly brush one side of a pappa dam with the vegetable oil. Place directly on the paper towels in the microwave and cook on full power until the surface of the cracker is light golden brown in places and covered in tiny bubbles, about 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining pappadams. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 1 day. (Do not attempt to microwave the pappadams on a plate; the built-up heat will cause the plate to crack.)

TOASTED PAPPADAMS

15 pappadams

Turn on an exhaust fan or open a window. Hold one pappadam with tongs a few inches over a gas burner set to medium heat. Toast the pappadam, flipping and turning frequently so that the cracker is covered in tiny bubbles on both sides and is charred in places. Be careful not to ignite the cracker; keep moving it around so that it cooks evenly without burning. Repeat with the remaining pappadams. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 1 day.

GARLIC PUMPERNICKEL BAGEL CHIPS

These chips are inspired by the dark, delicious chips found in salty bagged snack mixes. They always seem to be the first thing picked out of the mix, and since they’re as easy as slicing bread to make, I do it myself. If you can’t find pumpernickel bagels, substitue light rye, plain, or any other savory flavor.

MAKES 80 TO 85 CHIPS

2 unsliced pumpernickel (or other savory flavor) bagels

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese

1½ tbsp buttermilk powder (available in baking aisle)

2 tsp granulated garlic powder

1 tsp granulated onion powder

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the bagels in half from the top down (not horizontally as you would if you were toasting the bagels). Slice the halves as thinly as possible into coin-shaped slices (ideally ⅛ in/4 mm thick or less) and place them in a large bowl. Toss with the vegetable oil until coated.

In a small bowl, combine the cheese, buttermilk powder, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt. Sprinkle the mixture over the bagel slices and toss gently until they are coated with the seasoning.

Arrange the bagel slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets, placing the thickest slices in the corners and the thinner slices in the center of the baking sheets. Press any excess coating on top of the slices. Bake until crisped, 8 to 12 minutes, depending on how thick the slices are. Cool on the baking sheets and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

VIETNAMESE SHRIMP CHIPS

Shrimp chips, also labeled shrimp or prawn crackers, are a popular snack in Southeast Asia and parts of China. These foamy, crunchy crackers are made from potato or tapioca starch and dried shrimp. Sadly, many brands of shrimp chips don’t have much shrimp in them at all and taste more like salty Styrofoam than anything from the sea, so be sure to buy ones that have dried shrimp in the ingredients list.

Since shrimp chips are shelf-stable, they’re a great pantry staple for impromptu snacking or entertaining. All you need to do is heat some oil and these little multicolored pucks puff up into crunchy, impressive-looking snacks in seconds. I like to serve these with with a bowl of sweet chili sauce such as Mae Ploy for dipping.

MAKES 30 CHIPS

1½ cups/360 ml canola or peanut oil

2 oz/55 g shrimp crackers

Place the canola oil in a wok or small cast-iron pan and heat over high heat until hot but not smoking. (A deep-fat-frying thermometer will reach 350°F/180°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop one shrimp cracker into the oil; if the oil is ready, the chip will puff and expand within 3 seconds.) Add four shrimp crackers to the oil at a time, and cook until they are puffed but not browned, 3 to 5 seconds, stirring and turning the crackers over in the oil so they cook evenly. Drain the fried crackers on crumpled paper towels and repeat with the remaining crackers, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the oil temperature. The crackers can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

CHEATER’S SESAME LAVASH

Lavash
is a thin flat bread popular in the Middle East and Caucasus region, with its roots in Armenia. The bread is made in both a soft form that is used for sandwich wraps and a thinner, crisp lavash that is used as a cracker.

This “cheater” version of crispy lavash uses fresh, premade pizza dough instead of fiddling with yeast and kneading. Be sure to purchase the all-natural pizza dough found in the refrigerator case of better grocery stores; don’t use the fatty dough that comes in a tube; it won’t roll out thinly enough and will be far too greasy.

Lavash crackers are best the day they are made. They are especially welcome in a picnic basket or as part of a Mediterranean meze meal with the Rosemary Cannellini Dip (
page 114
) or the Spicy Red Lentil Dip (
page 109
). Any day-old crackers can be broken into pieces and used as croutons in salads or as a garnish for soup.

MAKES 12 ROUNDS

One 16-oz/450-g ball premade pizza dough

Unbleached all-purpose flour for rolling

2 tbsp unhulled toasted sesame seeds (see Cracker Tip,
page 67
)

Place a heavy rimmed baking sheet or a pizza stone on the center rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 475°F/240°C/gas 9. Let the dough rest in its package at room temperature for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough equally into four pieces. Divide each piece into three small balls to make twelve balls total. Cover all but one of the balls of dough with plastic wrap. Stretch out the uncovered ball of dough with your fingers into a small disk. Roll out the disk on the lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin (a taper-ended dowel-style rolling pin works best), picking up the dough after each stroke to make sure it isn’t sticking. Roll out the dough as thinly as possible; you should be able to achieve an 8- to-9-in/20- to 23-cm circle. If the dough springs back when rolling, set it aside to let the gluten relax while you roll out another piece of dough. Alternatively, pick up the dough with your fingertips and gently stretch and wiggle the dough until it is as thin as you can get it without tearing; you should be able to get an 8-in/20-cm round with a bit of patience.

Spritz the dough with a little water, sprinkle with some of the sesame seeds, and gently roll over the dough with the rolling pin to adhere the seeds to the dough. Pull the oven rack halfway out of the oven, pick up the dough from one end, and carefully lay the dough on the hot baking sheet. It may stretch a little; an oblong shape is fine. Push the rack back into the oven and bake the lavash until it is browned in places, 3 to 6 minutes, depending on how thinly the dough was rolled. If the dough puffs up while it is baking, poke it with a fork to release the trapped steam. Use tongs to remove the lavash from the oven and place it on a cooling rack; it will crisp up as it cools.

Repeat the process with the remaining balls of dough. Once you get going, you can bake two rounds at a time while rolling out more dough. Store the lavash in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.

PERFECT CROSTINI

Crostini are fairly simple to make, yet I’m amazed by how often I come across sub-par examples of them. Every good cook should know how to make this most basic of kitchen staples, so here I give you the simple guidelines to make simply perfect crostini based on a method I’ve developed over years of catering gigs and thousands, possibly millions, of batches of crostini.

The most important thing is to start with the right loaf. Look for a rustic baguette that has a fairly fine crumb and a good, chewy crust, such as La Brea Bakery’s French Baguette. Rubbing garlic all over the outside of the bread will lend the crostini a subtle garlicky flavor, and this is one of those times when it pays off to use your best olive oil.

MAKES 40 CROSTINI

1 garlic clove, peeled

One 1-lb/455-g baguette (see headnote)

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C/gas 5. Rub the garlic all over the unsliced baguette; the surface will become slightly sticky and smell terrific. Discard the garlic clove or reserve it for another use.

Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the bread on a 40-degree angle into oblong slices that are about ¼ in/6 mm thick. Discard the first and last heel pieces, or nibble on them as you work. Arrange the crostini close together on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the slices lightly with the olive oil (a dabbing motion is actually more effective), and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.

Bake until the crostini become light golden brown around the edges, 17 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once from front to back while baking. Watch carefully; do not let the crostini become too brown, because they will continue to crisp as they cool. Transfer the crostini to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze in zip-top bags for up to 3 months.