10 Minute Roasted Hummus - Simple Saturday

10 Minute Roasted Hummus

Hummus is the Arabic word for chick peas, which is translated in Spanish to garbanzo beans, which in Italian is Cece beans - and all of them can be pureed with spices to make a darn good dip or spread. One of the fantastic things about cooking (and Mediterranean cooking is no exception) is how personal you can make it. As long as the technique is there, the flavors are completely up to the taster. Hummus, which is also called hamos, hommos, hommus, homos, houmous, hummos, hummous, or humus (whew!) can be made smooth and earthy with the addition of tahini (sesame) paste, or spicy and chunky with peppers and veggies. The Simple Saturday recipe today keeps it fast and clean-up to a minimum. You roast the drained can of garbanzo beans (chick peas) on a parchment lined sheet pan along with the minced garlic and spices. Pour it all into a food processor and blend it with olive oil. That's it. Done and delish!

1) Drain one can of Garbanzo Beans (may be labeled Chick Peas).2) Pour them onto a parchment lined baking sheet and add a few minced garlic cloves, a pinch of red pepper flakes, cumin and dried thyme (you can also vary this to your tasting.) Squeeze a half lemon over the whole pan.

3) Stir it all together, then drizzle with Olive oil and place into a preheated 350F oven for TEN (10) MINUTES (you can vary the time if you'd like a more toasty flavor, but don't burn them.)

4) Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Using the parchment paper, lift it all up and pour into a food processor. Pulse a few times, then while the processor is on puree, carefully pour in 1/4 - 1/2 cup Olive oil. Check during the process to see if it's to your desire. Taste and season with salt and pepper, and maybe more lemon if needed.


Hummus can be served in little individual shooters with thin carrot sticks or other veggies for an elegant service...

Or put into a casual dish and served with crackers or flat bread.

Amazing Mezze: Daring Cooks February 2010

If you're like me: one of those people who can't answer any question that starts with, "What is your one and only favorite...?", then you will love MEZZE. It's a way of eating, it's a bunch of different tidbits of flavor, it's a party on a platter!

MEDITERRANEAN MEZZE w/
Pita, Hummus, Curry Cauliflower, and Marinated Olives

The 2010 February Daring COOKs challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

The word, Mezze, is used in Middle Eastern dining, and usually comes before a larger meal like: Appetizers, Tapas, Dim Sum, Hors d'Oeuvres and Antipasti. There could be as many as 50 different small servings that make up a Mezze course - or just a couple. Very often it will include Pita Bread and Hummus. "Mezze" has become a sort of trendy term to use in restaurant names across the country in the last few years, too.

I was visiting my Mom, Brother, and his wife in North Carolina when I made my Mezze platter for this challenge. We got snowed in for 3 days and luckily I had already bought all the ingredients. Having mezze was a perfect way to sit around, chat, graze,watch the snow fall, laugh, eat some more, play a board game, and nibble some more. The lighting was not so great for photos inside, but you get the feel: cozy, golden and casual.
The Pita recipe is easy, the hummus couldn't be quicker, and the cauliflower takes no time at all. The olives I had added to some spiced up olive oil earlier in the day, so we never missed a beat chattering away even while I was putting the Mezze platter together. There are a gazillion recipes online for different Mezze and even a helpful YouTube video on making Pita right here.

Quote from my Brother - (with a mouthful of Pita and hummus, giving me a big OKAY sign, then..) "Is there garlic in this, I mean it's the perfect amount, seriously good."
Pita Bread – Recipe adapted from Flatbreads & Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Prep time: 20 minutes to make, 90 minutes to rise and about 45 minutes to cook

2 teaspoons regular dry yeast (.43 ounces/12.1 grams)
2.5 cups lukewarm water (21 ounces/591 grams)
5-6 cups all-purpose flour (may use a combination of 50% whole wheat and 50% all-purpose, or a combination of alternative flours for gluten free pita) (17.5 -21 ounces/497-596 grams)
1 tablespoon table salt (.50 ounces/15 grams)
2 tablespoons olive oil (.95 ounces/29 ml)

Directions:
1. In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours.

2. Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.
3. Place a pizza stone, or two small baking sheets, on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap all around between the stone or sheets and the oven walls to allow heat to circulate. Preheat the oven to 450F (230C).
4. Gently punch down the dough. Divide the dough in half, and then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide the other half into 8 equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack.
5. Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough, on the stone or baking sheets, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each bread has gone into a full balloon. If for some reason your bread doesn't puff up, don't worry it should still taste delicious. Wrap the baked breads together in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.

Hummus – Recipe adapted from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
Prep Time: Hummus can be made in about 15 minutes once the beans are cooked. If you’re using dried beans you need to soak them overnight and then cook them the next day which takes about 90 minutes.

1.5 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight (or substitute well drained canned chickpeas and omit the cooking) (10 ounces/301 grams)
2-2.5 lemons, juiced (3 ounces/89ml)
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
a big pinch of salt
4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) OR use peanut butter or any other nut butter—feel free to experiment) (1.5 ounces/45 grams)
additional flavorings (optional) I would use about 1/3 cup or a few ounces to start, and add more to taste

Directions:
1. Drain and boil the soaked chickpeas in fresh water for about 1 ½ hours, or until tender. Drain, but reserve the cooking liquid.
2. Puree the beans in a food processor (or you can use a potato masher) adding the cooking water as needed until you have a smooth paste.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Curry Cauliflower:

Wash and trim Cauliflower. Place buds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle Salt and Pepper, then drizzle with Olive Oil. Place in oven preheated to 350F for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with your favorite Curry or Curry blend and squeeze a fresh lemon over the pan of curry. Toss gently and continue to cook for about 10 more minutes. *Optionally, toss in a few sprigs of fresh cilantro in the last 10 minutes.What would YOU add to this? Got a favorite one? I also LOVE the eggplant spreads.

Dosas at the Slow Food Picnic - Daring Cooks meet Time For Lunch Campaign

If I ever had a Vaudeville act it would be plate spinning. I can multi-task with the best of them. So when Debyi from Healthy Vegan Kitchen chose Indian Dosas (from the refresh cookbook by Ruth Tal) for the Daring Cook's September Challenge - AND- Slow Food USA was launching a Time For Lunch campaign to bring healthy food into our kid's schools by throwing a country wide Eat-In on Labor Day - my brain plates started spinning. I followed the recipes as given for the Daring Cook's Challenge, but created the lacy Indian crepes into mini crepes that could feed a crowd. Then, I brought them proudly to my neighborhood Slow Food Picnic. It was a large platter of fragrant, colorful, vegan delectables that were literally scooped up (with repeat visits) even by the youngest children. I was as proud as if I'd brought my grandma's buttermilk fried chicken to the preacher's invitation-only cover-dish dinner. I've never been vegan, and can't imagine giving up cheese, milk or fish forever, but - hey- that's why I signed up for the Daring Kitchen: to be challenged and stretched into areas that maybe I'd never pick on my own.

After making the recipes as offered, I also did a little more research on my own (half the fun is learning other cultures, too.) Okay, so the Dosa recipe we used was A way of making them and actually closer to Maida Dosas (fine milled wheat flour used on occasion in Indian Cuisine) than the older versions of Dosas that use rice and urad dal (lentils) that are soaked overnight, ground and fermented for hours before being made into a batter. However; these Dosas were a great introduction and by using Spelt Flour (a very hearty and healthy grain) they became something that I would gladly make again even on a limited time schedule. I also discovered they freeze well, which makes it even more convenient for feeding a busy family that still wants to eat healthy.
The Slow Food Eat-In on Labor Day had over 300 picnics happening all across America and was successful in gathering over 20,000 signatures on a petition to raise awareness in the USA to the need for better nutrition in our school lunches. I'm including a few pics from our small neighborhood picnic because the food was just so darn delicious looking and tasting.
It was inspiring to see families setting an example by eating fresh foods with their kids, talking about the farming, etc... And, to see small kids grabbing skewers of tiny tomatoes and fruits and eating them like/instead of candy - well, that was just the coolest summer day yet. Slow Food USA supplied flyers, and plenty of bio-degradable plates and utensils.And NOW to the recipes. There are three parts to the whole Dosa experience that we followed.
1) The Pancakes/the Dosas (like Indian crepes)
2) The Curry Garbanzo Filling (which can be made and frozen for later, and can also be used as a topping for rice, so making the whole recipe is just simply smart.
3) The Coconut Curry sauce (which can ALSO be frozen for later and used as a topping on veggies, rice or a different dish of your own concoction; I found this very mild flavored)

Dosa Pancakes
1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed

1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth. This can get gummy, go at it little at a time.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.
** In my case, I used a small pan and I did add a little more almond milk to make just a bit thinner batter.

Curried Garbanzo Filling

5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground
1 TBSP (8gm) oregano
1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste

1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce

1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder
3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced

1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let it simmer for half an hour.Dosa Toppings
1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated
¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut
¼ cucumber, sliced

Was it worth it? Yes! Was it delicious? Yes! Would I make it again? Yes!

During the month of September, Slow Food USA is opening their membership to anyone for any amount they can pay. I hope you'll look into right here.

Daring Kitchens are open to all interested in a cooking/baking challenge. I hope to read about your experience next. AND you can read about the other blogs right here.


**Other wonderful links to fabulous Indian Cooking:

Manjula