Hummus bil Tahina

This is a special recipe to me because it was my first. During college I would sometimes buy  hummus from the grocery store and was alway sorely disappointed. I soon began adding ingredients, more garlic and some lemon, but it never tasted quite right. Then I saw that it was made with corn oil. This was repugnant to me. Why would you use such a lousy oil in comparison with olive oil? Of course, it is cheap. I then decided to start making my own. I have been working on this for over a decade. I hope you will make this according to your tastes. You may find this much garlic too pungent, or want more or less salt. You may like it thinner or thicker. I have included instructions on how to do this.

Ingredients:

5 cups of fully soaked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or 2 large cans

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/4-1/2 cup of warm water

1/4-1/2 cup of lemon juice

1/4-1/2 cup of tahini

5-10 cloves of fresh garlic

1/2-1 1/2 tbs salt

Garnish:

Sumac (a Middle Eastern spice you can find at a Middle Eastern grocery store or online). You can substitute paprika.

1 tbs olive oil

An olive

First, make sure that your chickpeas are fully plumped up after soaking. I use a slow cooker on low, covering dried beans with water and adding more if needed. It takes a few hours. I have found that soaking them overnight leaves them too brittle. If you wish to use the stove, just simmer for a few hours. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Combine all ingredients except those for garnish in a food processor. Blend until creamy and smooth. If it never gets smooth, the chickpeas were not plump with enough water. Now is the important part–use your taste buds to get the right balance of flavors (how you like it). Add more salt, tahini, lemon, water or garlic. Try adjusting proportions next time. When it tastes as you like it, pour into a bowl, drizzle olive oil on top, sprinkle with sumac or paprika, and top with a green olive. Serve with hot, fresh bread, or vegetable slices.

 

Peasant Food for Royalty–Oricchette with Lentils

Lentils with pasta. Sound strange? It did to me, so much so that when I was in Egypt I avoided trying koshari, which is one of their signature dishes, albeit a slightly more working class dish, yet ironically “vegan”–a developing/developed country irony. In Italy, pasta with lentils is a dish for all, but of course, especially in Tuscany. While Italians are great lovers according to an old stereotype, Tuscans are foremost known for their longtime affair with beans. In fact, it isn’t an affair but a marriage, and one that is indestructible. If the Italians can shun some of the world’s best breads, cheeses, sauces, vegetable, seafood and meat dishes for lentils, don’t you think you are missing out on something? If you’ve only had lentils in soup, like most people, it is time to eat them in their solid state where they really shine.

I am strongly partial to oricchette in this recipe because it makes little cups that hold some of the lentils. Spaghetti will not do this, a piece of penne might accidentally have a few hiding in a tunnel, but oricchette will be like tiny cups a cherub is holding for you, full of firm yet delicate little legumes.

 

Heat 2 tbs of butter in a medium pot. Add 1/2 cup of lentils, stirring, then 4 cloves of crushed garlic and then add 2 cups of chicken broth. Once simmering, cover and reduce heat to low for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile boil water for oricchette and cook according to directions. When finished, drain and toss with a little olive oil. Add lentils when finished cooking and serve with freshly grated parmesan and black pepper, or as is. This is a family and small child friendly recipe, while being satisfying for adults too.

Dandelion Greens–Unseduced

Dandelion greens are vividly colored and purportedly brimming with health. I enjoy most other greens, but the dandelion is well defended against my appetite due to an acerbic nature that makes chewing them feel slightly like penance for spending too much on groceries. Despite many attempts these have yet to seduce my palate. I am not guilty of trying to make them too “healthy.” I use butter to cook them. The recipe below includes boucheron de chèvre. My husband ate two bunches worth of these greens. I think they should be delicious to me, but alas, they are too bitter, despite being extremely interesting in flavor. They remind me of very strong, black espresso and of gin. And I don’t like either of those things–alas I prefer my espresso with steamed milk and  even the smell of gin makes my stomach turn. Yet the recipe below is very good if you like dandelion greens. If you have any suggestions on this subject, please leave a comment below.

Recipe:

Heat 2 tbs butter until brown. Wash two bunches of dandelion greens thoroughly, there will be plenty of dirt most likely. Dry green thoroughly and quickly sautee in butter. Add 1 tsp sea salt. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Add boucheron de chèvre (double cream goat cheese).