This recipe is one of my all time favorites. I used to hate humus. They texture was what threw me off. However, my wonderful MIL turned me around when she said "It's only bean dip" and I was hooked. I decided try some from Target after that and haven't looked back since. After getting tired of spending so much money on it, I decided that I would try my hand at making it myself and that's how I ended up with this recipe. It started from this one, and I made a couple of modifications.
Roasted Garlic Hummus
3 large roasted garlic cloves (I just roast a whole head of garlic and use however much I need to make it taste nice and garlicky)
One 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained (I actually used 2 15 ounce cans)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (make 1/2 cup and have ready)
3 tablespoons sesame tahini
3 tablespoons water (may need more)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh chives, minced
Assorted crudites, for serving
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place garlic cloves on a small piece of foil, and lightly drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Seal foil to form a pouch, and roast garlic in oven until soft, about 20 minutes. Remove the garlic from the oven, and allow garlic to cool slightly; peel and transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Add the chickpeas, and process until finely chopped.
2. Add lemon juice, sesame tahini, water, salt, cayenne pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil, and process until the texture is light and fluffy but not entirely smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in chives, and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with assorted crudites, if desired.
Personal Notes:
Since I used 2 15 ounce cans of chickpeas, I had to adjust the other ingredients to get it the way I wanted it. Also, I like my hummus to be VERY creamy, so I had to add more water and lemon juice.
This hummus is amazing...it is absolutely the best on herbed pita chips.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Monthly Ingredient - April - Roasted Garlic
Roasted garlic is delicious...Doug will eat the cloves straight out of the oven. I like to use them in recipes or spread them on toasted french bread.
There are myriad of tips and pointers on the innernets about roasting garlic. I have seen suggestions of putting the heads in muffin tins topped with foil (which is a pretty neat idea, but I don't want to have to wash an extra pan).
Roasted Garlic
Several heads of garlic
Olive Oil
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
All I do is cut off the tops of the head of garlic, set them on a small piece of foil, pour some olive oil on them (enough to cover) and sprinkle them with salt and fresh ground pepper. The wrap up the foil and place them in a 350 degree oven until they are done (about 40 minutes). "Done" would be when they are very soft. You can either pull them out with a fork or just squeeze the cloves out.
Roasted Garlic is a versitile ingredient that we will be using for our next and last April recipe. Have fun experimenting with it.
There are myriad of tips and pointers on the innernets about roasting garlic. I have seen suggestions of putting the heads in muffin tins topped with foil (which is a pretty neat idea, but I don't want to have to wash an extra pan).
Roasted Garlic
Several heads of garlic
Olive Oil
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
All I do is cut off the tops of the head of garlic, set them on a small piece of foil, pour some olive oil on them (enough to cover) and sprinkle them with salt and fresh ground pepper. The wrap up the foil and place them in a 350 degree oven until they are done (about 40 minutes). "Done" would be when they are very soft. You can either pull them out with a fork or just squeeze the cloves out.
Roasted Garlic is a versitile ingredient that we will be using for our next and last April recipe. Have fun experimenting with it.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monthly Ingredient Project Update - April
Garlic...mmm...I love it, but often feel limited by it other than as a seasoning. This month will feature 3 recipes (2 of which are my favorite ways to enjoy everything garlic has to offer). So I guess technically I'm cheating on my resolution, but I just have to share them with you. Maybe I'll be an over-acheiver and try some more recipes...but I doubt it.
The first recipe is a new one for me. It was taken from the 101 Cookbooks website here.
Richard Olney's Garlic Soup Recipe
1 quart (4 cups) water
1 bay leaf
2 sage leaves
3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
a dozen medium cloves of garlic, smashed peeled, and chopped
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Binding pommade:
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
day-old crusty bread & more olive oil to drizzle
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add the bay leaf, sage, thyme, garlic, and salt. Heat to a gentle boil and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain into a bowl, remove the bay and sage leaves from the strainer, and return the broth and garlic back to the saucepan, off the heat. Taste and add more salt if needed.
With a fork, whisk the egg, egg yolks, cheese, and pepper together in a bowl until creamy. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, beating all the time, then add (slowly! slowly!), continuing to whisk, a large ladleful of the broth. Stir the contents of the bowl into the garlic broth and whisk it continuously over low-medium heat until it thickens slightly. Olney states, "just long enough to be no longer watery." I usually let it go a wee-bit beyond that - until it is the consistency of half-and-half or cream. Place a handful of torn bread chunks into the bottom of each bowl and pour the soup over the bread. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, and serve immediately.
Makes about 4 cups of soup.
This recipe was adapted from The French Menu Cookbook by Richard Olney. Originally published in 1970, this edition was republished by Ten Speed Press in 2002.
A few personal notes:
DO NOT...for even one second...step away from the soup once you have combined the binding pommade in it. You will regret it...I promise. It's not that it takes away from the flavor of the soup, but it takes away from the appearance (and we all know that we eat with our eyes first). What happens is the cheese and egg start to separate from the broth and it looks a little weird. It still tastes fine, but I do think that it takes away from the dish.
I would also like to note that while making this dish made me try a new cooking technique (using a binding pommade), I would rather make potato soup and add a lot of garlic to it during the cooking process (either when boiling the potatoes or right before I puree the soup). But it was good and one I will probably try again if I am short on potatoes and can't make potato soup.
The first recipe is a new one for me. It was taken from the 101 Cookbooks website here.
Richard Olney's Garlic Soup Recipe
1 quart (4 cups) water
1 bay leaf
2 sage leaves
3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
a dozen medium cloves of garlic, smashed peeled, and chopped
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Binding pommade:
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
day-old crusty bread & more olive oil to drizzle
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add the bay leaf, sage, thyme, garlic, and salt. Heat to a gentle boil and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain into a bowl, remove the bay and sage leaves from the strainer, and return the broth and garlic back to the saucepan, off the heat. Taste and add more salt if needed.
With a fork, whisk the egg, egg yolks, cheese, and pepper together in a bowl until creamy. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, beating all the time, then add (slowly! slowly!), continuing to whisk, a large ladleful of the broth. Stir the contents of the bowl into the garlic broth and whisk it continuously over low-medium heat until it thickens slightly. Olney states, "just long enough to be no longer watery." I usually let it go a wee-bit beyond that - until it is the consistency of half-and-half or cream. Place a handful of torn bread chunks into the bottom of each bowl and pour the soup over the bread. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, and serve immediately.
Makes about 4 cups of soup.
This recipe was adapted from The French Menu Cookbook by Richard Olney. Originally published in 1970, this edition was republished by Ten Speed Press in 2002.
A few personal notes:
DO NOT...for even one second...step away from the soup once you have combined the binding pommade in it. You will regret it...I promise. It's not that it takes away from the flavor of the soup, but it takes away from the appearance (and we all know that we eat with our eyes first). What happens is the cheese and egg start to separate from the broth and it looks a little weird. It still tastes fine, but I do think that it takes away from the dish.
I would also like to note that while making this dish made me try a new cooking technique (using a binding pommade), I would rather make potato soup and add a lot of garlic to it during the cooking process (either when boiling the potatoes or right before I puree the soup). But it was good and one I will probably try again if I am short on potatoes and can't make potato soup.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
You can't appreciate the light until you have experienced the darkness
I had an epiphany this morning in my vehicle (as this is where I have a lot of my epiphanies - among other places) in regards to our work on the farm. Yesterday, I was reading through some of my journal entries voicing (?), noting, my frustrations with the lack of progress on the farm around the holidays last year. I noted that I was ready to either do something or walk away...the frustration was distracting to me. I wasn't depressed (that only happens when I don't get my way) but I was certainly feeling defeated by the lack of progress, issues with the neighbors, and no resolution in sight.
Since then we have had the back property line cleared and started putting in the fence. The16,000,000 16 piles of trees have been moved to a better spot (creating a sort of fencerow splitting the cleared fields), and the fields have been disced, which makes it much easier to walk on without spraining an ankle. Not to mention things are really greening up out there and we have been trying to make nice with the neighbors.
But this morning, while sipping my coffee, sitting in traffic, I realized that I needed to have those moments of frustration with a lack of progress in order to truly appreciate the things we have accomplished in just the last couple of months. When I go out there, I can see things taking shape (yet it still looks pretty much the same as when we last went out there). When I think back to the fact that this land started off as 30 acres of trunk to trunk mesquite, I am amazed that we have come this far (even if it has been 3 years) and it makes hopeful of how far we can get in just a short amount of time if we communicate, plan, and prepare properly.
Since then we have had the back property line cleared and started putting in the fence. The
But this morning, while sipping my coffee, sitting in traffic, I realized that I needed to have those moments of frustration with a lack of progress in order to truly appreciate the things we have accomplished in just the last couple of months. When I go out there, I can see things taking shape (yet it still looks pretty much the same as when we last went out there). When I think back to the fact that this land started off as 30 acres of trunk to trunk mesquite, I am amazed that we have come this far (even if it has been 3 years) and it makes hopeful of how far we can get in just a short amount of time if we communicate, plan, and prepare properly.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Farm Update
We met with Milton the last weekend of January to go over the items we wanted to get done at the beginning of this season, to include:
Clearing the back property line – so that we can get the place fenced off
Moving the piles of mesquite into rows – so that the discing and raking can be done
Discing and raking the already cleared 13 acres – that we can get seed in the ground so we can get cattle out there this year
As luck and the weather would have it, none of this has been done yet, because it has been pretty rainy the last month. In the next week or so I think we can get this party going and get some things done out there.
Speaking of the weather, there is a book that I would like to recommend, “The Contrary Farmer” by Lodgson. It speaks a lot to what we are trying to accomplish here and some of the issues we face with this project.
Monthly Ingredient Project Update – March
March – Barley
I am excited about this ingredient. I know that I have a recipe in mind. Granted it is one that I have made several times and LOVE it, and that is why I want to share it with you guys. It is a little time consuming as it is made like a risotto, but it is amazing!!
Mushroom Barley Risotto
Bon Appétit November 1997
Barley replaces rice in this twist on the classic Italian risotto.
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup pearl barley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms (such as oyster, stemmed portobello and stemmed shiitake), sliced – I like button mushrooms in this just fine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Bring chicken stock to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
Melt 2 teaspoons butter in large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add barley, thyme, bay leaf and 2 cups warm chicken stock; bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until most of stock is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add remaining stock 1/2 cup at a time, allowing stock to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until barley is tender, about 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in another large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Mix in parsley and barley mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon risotto into bowls and serve immediately.
I am excited about this ingredient. I know that I have a recipe in mind. Granted it is one that I have made several times and LOVE it, and that is why I want to share it with you guys. It is a little time consuming as it is made like a risotto, but it is amazing!!
Mushroom Barley Risotto
Bon Appétit November 1997
Barley replaces rice in this twist on the classic Italian risotto.
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup pearl barley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms (such as oyster, stemmed portobello and stemmed shiitake), sliced – I like button mushrooms in this just fine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Bring chicken stock to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
Melt 2 teaspoons butter in large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add barley, thyme, bay leaf and 2 cups warm chicken stock; bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until most of stock is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add remaining stock 1/2 cup at a time, allowing stock to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until barley is tender, about 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in another large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Mix in parsley and barley mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon risotto into bowls and serve immediately.
Monthly Ingredient Project Update – February
February – Broccoli
Okay…I will be completely honest here. I didn’t do anything with broccoli this month. Partly due to being busy, partly due to being lazy, and partly because I think that broccoli is a culinary curmudgeon. In fact, the only way I really like broccoli is smothered in ranch dressing or Velveeta cheese. Perhaps, then, it was the perfect candidate for this experiment and I may move it to coincide with another ingredient in a later month.
Okay…I will be completely honest here. I didn’t do anything with broccoli this month. Partly due to being busy, partly due to being lazy, and partly because I think that broccoli is a culinary curmudgeon. In fact, the only way I really like broccoli is smothered in ranch dressing or Velveeta cheese. Perhaps, then, it was the perfect candidate for this experiment and I may move it to coincide with another ingredient in a later month.
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