Sesame Cumin Pita Crisps

I really love dark sesame oil. It's so toasty and fragrant. It adds tons of flavor and even has a nutty quality (which makes it a great peanut oil substitute, for anyone out there who is peanut challenged).

These chips are just so easy to whip up. If you already have pita bread, it would probably take you longer to buy a bag of pita chips than make these at home. It's a great way to extend the life of leftover pita bread and get your sesame fix. And even though they taste great dipped in hummus, they're equally good on salad in place of croutons. You can even slice them into super cute thin strips if you're making them specifically as salad toppers. Just make sure you keep an eye on them so they don't burn (neither super, nor cute).

SESAME CUMIN PITA CRISPS

Makes about 3 cups

6 tablespoons Asian sesame oil

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

a few pinches of salt

3 (5- to 6-inch) pitas

1.      Preheat oven 350° F.

2.      In a small bowl stir together the oil and cumin.

3.      Halve the pitas horizontally to form 6 rounds and brush the rough sides of the rounds with the oil mixture.

4.      Cut each round into 3/4-inch triangles. Spread the triangles on a sheet pan and sprinkle lightly with salt.

5.      Bake in the middle of the oven, shaking the pan every 3 to 4 minutes, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are golden. Toss the crisps with additional cumin and salt if desired and let cool.

6.      The crisps keep in an airtight container for 1 week.

Gourmet, June 1990

ground cumin

ground cumin mixed with sesame oil

slicing pita along the edge

sliced open pita halves

brushing pita with sesame/cumin oil

slicing into triangles (a pizza cutter works nicely)

sprinkled lightly with salt and ready to bake

baked and golden

crispy crisps

.