Made for sharing: Pita chips and crispy chickpeas 

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Made for sharing: Pita chips and crispy chickpeas

By Maria Zizka

Published: | Updated:

Manouri is a mild semi-soft Greek cheese. It doesn’t melt when heated, which makes it ideal for scooping up with a crisp baked pita chip. This board also has a flame-coloured sauce that cloaks the chips and hidden pockets of black olives. Use a baking dish that can go straight from oven to table, then dig in!

SERVES 2-4

200g pita chips

85g manouri cheese, thinly sliced

30g pitted cured black olives, coarsely chopped

2 sprigs of mint, stalks removed

2 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, stalks removed

CRISPY CHICKPEAS

400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp fine sea salt

HARISSA-SUMAC SAUCE

2 tbsp harissa paste

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

or red wine vinegar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sumac

  • Make the crispy chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. On a 23cm x 33cm rimmed baking sheet, spread out the chickpeas, drizzle them with the oil, then season with the salt and several grinds of pepper. Mix well. Roast, stirring once or twice, until golden brown and crispy (about 20 minutes). When the chickpeas are roasted, transfer them to a bowl and keep the oven on. Set aside the baking sheet to use again once everything has been assembled.
  • Make the harissa-sumac sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the harissa, vinegar, olive oil and sumac.
  • To assemble, place the pita chips on the baking sheet used for the chickpeas. Tuck the manouri slices among the chips. Scatter the olives and chickpeas on top and spoon the sauce all over. Bake until everything is hot and the cheese has softened (about 10 minutes). Garnish with the mint and parsley. Serve right away on the baking sheet.

TIP Manouri cheese is available in some supermarkets and at Greek delicatessens, as well as online food specialists such as odysea.com. If you can’t find it, use feta cheese as a substitute.