This recipe contributed by Michael Saad.  In Lebanon they say you are either a fatteh person or a fatoush person, and this recipe will make you a fatteh person!

Ingredients

• One gallon milk and 6 ounces Greek yogurt OR 2 quarts Greek yogurt and 1 quart plain yogurt
• 2 cups dried chickpeas
• Two tablespoons baking soda
• Kosher salt
• 3 rounds large pita bread
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup pine nuts, blanched slivered almonds, or a mix
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, or to taste
• ¼ cup tahini, or to taste
• Diamond crystal kosher salt

Yogurt

I usually make my own yogurt in an instant pot for this recipe. Alternatively, you can mix 2 quarts Greek yogurt with 1 quart regular yogurt.

1. Add a gallon of milk to the instant pot. Using the yogurt function, click until you see BOIL on the display. Cover with the lid and let sit until the BOIL becomes YGRT.
2. Turn the instant pot off and let the temperature of the milk come down to 115 F. To speed this up you can leave the bowl in the freezer. You can also plug your sink, fill it with ice water, and place the bowl in the sink until cooled.
3. When cooled, add 6 ounces of whole milk Greek yogurt to act as a starter. I usually use Fage or the Trader Joe’s brand. Whisk well.
4. Place the bowl back in the instant pot and set to YGRT function. Let incubate for 11 hours.
5. When incubation is done, place the bowl of yogurt in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
6. Strain the yogurt partially. By this I mean we want the consistency to be thicker than it is out of the fridge but not as thick as Greek yogurt. As a guideline, I will strain my yogurt until the 4 quarts becomes 3 but ultimately it is up to your personal preference how thick the yogurt is. To strain, I usually use a cheesecloth around a colander and place it in another bowl to catch the whey.

Chickpeas

Please, please use dried chickpeas. They are so much better than from a can.

1. The night before you are going to cook them, place 2 cups dried chickpeas in a large bowl, add one tablespoon baking soda, and fill with water to cover by at least double.
2. The next day, drain the chickpeas and rinse.
3. Add the chickpeas to a pot and again add one tablespoon baking soda and three tablespoons kosher salt (use about half if using table salt) and cover with water by at least double.
4. Bring to a boil then turn to a simmer and cover for about an hour. Taste chickpeas and if they are not soft continue simmering until finished.
5. Save about a cup of the cooking liquid then drain the chickpeas and save until you are ready to assemble.

Pita chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Cut 3 large rounds of pita bread into pita chip sized pieces.
3. Toss bread pieces with 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
4. Spread evenly on a baking tray and bake for about 12-15 minutes, until crispy but not burnt.

Toasted nuts

Just before serving, toast ¼ cup of nuts in butter. I usually use a mix of pine nuts and slivered, blanched almonds.

1. In a pan, add 3 tablespoons butter and heat over medium low heat.
2. When melted, add the ¼ cup of nuts.
3. Stir frequently until nuts brown but do not burn. Add more butter if needed. You want the butter to be slightly browned

Assembly

1. Bring the yogurt to room temperature
2. Finely mince or mash 4 cloves of garlic. To help break down the garlic, add about a tablespoon of kosher salt when prepping.
3. To the 3 quarts of yogurt, add the garlic, ¼ cup of tahini, and salt to taste. I usually add 3 tablespoons kosher salt and taste test from there. Mix well. If you want to thin the yogurt, add leftover chickpea water.
4. If serving right before eating assemble as follows. If not, do not add bread until you are serving as it will become soggy.
5. In a large serving bowl, add chickpeas, then add toasted bread, then yogurt. Finally top with hot nut/butter mixture.