Monthly Archives: November 2005

Hummus

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Chickpeas are full of dietary fiber, folate, and iron, but it's hard to eat them when the hummus from the deli section presents a bland flavor palette. I prefer to make my own--and fair warning, I love lemon juice. Less is probably more authentic.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chickpeas or garbanzo beans, soaked overnight
  • 2 T parsley, dried
  • 1 T salt
  • 1 T Hungarian paprika
  • 1 head Roasted Garlic
  • 1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of 4 lemons

Procedure

  1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. In a pot, cover soaked beans with 2" water and bring to a simmer. Hold at a simmer for 2 1/2-3 hours, or until beans are soft and fully cooked; add water as needed to ensure that they remain submerged. Remove from heat and drain chickpeas.
  2. In a Ziplock bag with a rolling pin, crush chickpeas to a paste. It is not necessary to completely process them down; in fact, it is nearly impossible to remove all of the lumps without a food processor. (Or for a smoother hummus, just use a food processor.)
  3. Mix chickpea paste with remaining seasonings.

Serving suggestions

Serve with toasted pita bread points or crudité.

Cucumber Yogurt Salad

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This makes a fast lunch, but can be dressed up for company by dicing the cucumber and serving with pita bread as a dip. I always have a container of plain yogurt and a head of roasted garlic on hand , but a scant amount of sour cream and garlic powder can be substituted in a pinch.

Ingredients

  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1-2 clove(s) Roasted Garlic
  • 1 C plain yogurt
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1/2 ts dried mint
  • 1/2 ts dried dill
  • 1 cucumber

Procedure

  1. In a large bowl, crush together olive oil, garlic, and salt with the back of a fork to form a paste. Gradually mix in yogurt, then add lemon juice, mint, and dill. Mix thoroughly and set aside to allow dried herbs to rehydrate.
  2. While the dressing sets, peel and optionally seed a cucumber. Quarter, then slice to produce bite-sized pieces.
  3. Add cucumber to dressing and stir to combine.

Serving suggestions

Serve with toasted pita bread or just eat with a spoon.

Roasted Garlic

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Many of my recipes call for roasted garlic, as it is milder than raw garlic. It can also be served as a spread or mezze with toasted baguettes and olive oil for dipping.

Ingredients

  • 1 head garlic
  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil
  • aluminum foil

Procedure

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Remove the outermost layers of skin from the head of garlic. Cut the top 1/4" off the head of garlic to expose the cloves. Do not peel further.
  3. Place in the center of a double layer of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil, making sure that the top of each exposed clove is coated.
  4. Fold aluminum foil into a packet around the garlic, place on a cookie sheet (to catch any drips), and bake for about one hour. Garlic should be golden and fragrant when done.
  5. Allow head to cool slightly. Remove the cooled garlic paste from the head by cutting off the stem end and squeezing the paste from each clove into a small bowl; discard the skins. Mash the garlic paste with a fork or back of a spoon until smooth. Use paste as desired. Alternately, use a fork to scoop whole garlic cloves out of the paper skin.

Serving suggestions

Serve hot or at room temperature with olives and fresh chèvre, or use as an alternative to raw garlic in recipes where a milder garlic flavor is desired.