A Little Bite of the Mediterranean
"A perfect little bite packed with flavor. Instead of putting out the hummus dip at your next get together, try these portable little cuties."
photo by Fairy Nuff
- Ready In:
- 45mins
- Ingredients:
- 14
- Serves:
-
10
ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 cups lightly packed grated parmesan cheese
- 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas
- 3 garlic cloves, and
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 ounces lemon juice
- 1⁄4 cup tahini
- 3⁄4 teaspoon salt, and
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1 red bell pepper
- 4 ounces plain yogurt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon cumin
- 1⁄16 teaspoon cayenne (a dash)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
directions
- The night before, take a coffee filter and put it into the opening of a fairly narrow glass. Secure the coffee filter by putting a rubber band over the lip of the glass. Put the yogurt into the secured coffee filter; put a piece of plastic wrap over the top and place in the refrigerator overnight (this is to drain off the excess fluid.).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use 2 heaping tablespoons of parmesan cheese to create a round of about 3 1/2 inches in diameter on your parchment paper (can use the outer ring of the lid of a Mason jar as a guide.) Make the circle slightly mounded (a little more in the center of the round.) Make ten.
- Place in the preheated oven for 3 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Let the melted cheese rounds cool for about 2-3 minutes. They should have cooled off enough for you to pick them up with your fingers, but not so cool that they are not pliable.
- Slip the edge of a spatula under the edge of the round and gently ease it off of the parchment paper.
- Take the round and mold it over the back of a mini muffin tin (make sure you are doing this on the back of the muffin tin.) Be gentle. Do this with the rest of the rounds.
- While your rounds take shape, turn the oven to broil. Try to have your oven rack 3 inches from the top of the heating element.
- Line a baking sheet with foil ( can use the one you melted your cheese on.).
- Halve, core and seed the pepper.
- Flatten each half with your hand.
- Put the pepper skin side up on your baking sheet and put under the preheated broiler. Broil until the skin is charred black.
- Put the charred pepper into a gallon size zip top bag and set off to the side for about 15 minutes.
- Now make your hummus.
- Drain the can of chickpeas.
- Dump them into a food processor.
- Drop in 3 cloves of garlic.
- Spoon in 1/4 cup tahini.
- Pour in the lemon juice.
- Measure in 3/4 teaspoon salt.
- Process until smooth.
- Set the hummus to the side (clean out the food processor, your going to need it again.).
- If it has been 15 minutes, take the bell pepper out of the bag and peel the skin off (throw away the skin.).
- Put the red bell pepper into the food processor.
- Put in 1 clove of garlic.
- Measure in 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon cumin and dash of cayenne.
- Dump in the drained yogurt.
- Process until smooth.
- The parmesan cups should be cooled and formed by now.
- Gently wiggle the cups off the back of the muffin tin.
- Place 1 teaspoon of the crumbled feta into the bottom of each cup.
- Put 1 tablespoon of the hummus on top of the cheese.
- Place 1 teaspoon of roasted red pepper sauce on top of the hummus.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
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Reviews
-
I really enjoyed making this recipe.I knew as soon as I read that the parmesan melts would be made into "baskets" that it would look great. Would it taste great as well?? The recipe seems complicated due to the number of steps (35!!) but it's really quite simple. The end result looked quite stunning...tasted great and is certainly a recipe I'll use again. I really loved the taste and the colour of the roasted pepper sauce - though I did leave the salt out - I also cut the salt in the hummus by half. I will make these again, but I will add a halved kalamata olive for garnish, for taste and colour. Thanks for a wonderful appetizer and good luck with the contest!!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
tara portee
United States
I have lived in Central Virginia my whole life. Currently I live in Chesterfield County, which is just outside of Richmond. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I currently work as as an emergency services therapist for one of the local Community Services Boards. I have been married since 2000. My husband works for UPS. Cooking is one of my very favorite hobbies. I just love to read cooking magazines, watch cooking shows, surf the net for cooking web sites, read cook books and of course get into the kitchen. My husband calls me the "mad scientist" when I am in the kitchen. I tend to be a VERY messy cook! I think my favorite cookbook is The Cook's Bible by Christopher Kimball. I have other past times as well. I love to Garden and work out at the gym. If I had a month off I would travel at a leisurely pace to Europe or maybe even Hawaii.<img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/homepage/taraporter.jpg">
