Hummus and the Hound

My daughter’s dog Ziggy ate my breakfast yesterday. !@#$%^^&&*

It was yogurt and strawberries and I accidentally left the bowl on a chair outside on the deck while I got up for a few seconds to get something a few feet away. That’s all it takes for this dog. She has a nose for food and will zero in on it in seconds.

Okay, I was almost finished anyway.

Later in the day Ziggy got to the homemade hummus —!@#$%^&* — which unfortunately was in an antique sandwich glass bowl. Not an expensive thing, but it was a good shape and size bowl for hummus, which I make often. Okay, okay, it’s just a thing. But the hummus was really good and it was gone, gone, along with its container.

I had a dog named Rocky when I was about 8. That dog also ate everything in sight and one day it leaped up onto the table and made off with the roast beef my mother just put there for my father to slice.

That was it for my mother who never wanted the dog in the first place. She said we children wouldn’t take care of it (she was right) and that she would wind up with all the work (she was right about that too). The next week Rocky was “living with a nice family on a farm upstate.”

Anyway, if you want a recipe for easy, homemade hummus, here it is. It was good while it lasted:

Lemony Hummus

1 can chickpeas (about one pound)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup tahini

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large cloves garlic

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

cayenne pepper to taste (I use 1/4 teaspoon)

chopped parsley, optional, about 2-3 tablespoons

zatar, optional

pita bread

Drain the chickpeas but reserve the liquid. Place the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper in a food processor. Process until you reach the texture you like, adding 3-4 tablespoons of the reserved chickpea liquid if you like it smooth. Spoon into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with optional parsley and zatar. Serve with pita bread. Makes about 1-1/2 cups.

Good Causes: World Cup Calendar for Soccer Aid

jessehertzberg:

afootballreport:

By Ulysse Pasquier, writing from Montreal

Being less than two weeks away from the start of the World Cup, I think it’s a good time to take a break from the predictions and focus on a good cause. Designer David Watson has created this very cool typographic poster of the entire event’s schedule. The poster is available to buy here: http://www.trebleseven.com/ and profits go to Soccer Aid, a charity that raises money for UNICEF. 

(via worldcupreport)

This is not really about food memories — or is it? Trick or Treat for Unicef began in 1950, in Philadelphia. Kids asked for money instead of candy at Hallowe’en so children around the world could get basics, like food and water. My kids went trick or treating for Unicef. Soccer Aid is another good way to make sure children get what they need. Why wait for Hallowe’en?

Mashed Potatoes

Chow posted a recipe today for Creamed Spinach. It’s made with baby spinach and lots of cream. I am sure it is delicious. Looks nice too. For the recipe:

http://www.chow.com/recipes/10731-creamed-spinach

My mother got us to eat spinach with her recipe for creamed spinach. Her version was this: mix cooked spinach with mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were so rich, creamy and buttery that she could have put any vegetable with it — turnips included — and we would have eaten it. Here’s the recipe:

Mashed Potatoes

• 2 pounds boiling potatoes (such as Yukon Gold)

• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks

• 4 tablespoons cream cheese, cut into chunks

• 1/2 cup dairy sour cream

• 1/4 cup warm milk, approximately

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Cook them in lightly salted simmering water for about 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and return the potatoes to the pan. Cook briefly over low heat to evaporate excess moisture. Mash the potatoes with a ricer or potato masher. Add the butter and cream cheese and mix in thoroughly until the butter an cheese are completely blended in. Add the sour cream and blend in thoroughly. Mix in enough milk for desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 6 servings

If you want to make it into creamed spinach: add a bunch or two of cooked spinach.

Roasted Beet Salad

Recipe for Roasted Beet Salad

When I was a youngster, I thought beets only came in a can. They were either whole, sliced or diced and they were a great relief from the usual diced carrots and peas (also from a can).

In the 1950s canned food was the great liberating thing for women — who could make dinner quickly by just opening …. a can of something to go with whatever meat they were making.

Cooking real, fresh beets does take more time than opening a can. But roasted beets are so sweet it’s worth it. All you have to do really is wash them off, wrap them in foil and put them in the oven.

Yesterday I roasted beets and made a salad out of them. Thanks to my new herb garden, I was able to include fresh mint and dill, just snipped from a few steps away from my kitchen. Here’s the recipe:

Roasted Beet Salad:

• 1 bunch beets (12-16 ounces), trimmed

• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion or 2-3 scallions, chopped

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Scrub the beets and wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. Roast until tender, about 45-75 minutes, depending on size. Unwrap the beets and when they are cool enough to handle, peel them. Cut the beets into bite size pieces. Place the beet chunks in a bowl. Add the onion, olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon juice, dill and mint. Toss ingredients. Let rest for 15 minutes before servings. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 4-6 servings

Salt & Fat: Probe thermometer

I don’t really consider a probe thermometer in the first tier of kitchen instruments, like I do a sharp knife and a sturdy pan. It’s a nicety, something you acquire when you want to add a little more precision to your cooking — you don’t need one when you’re roasting a chicken, but it sure does…

It’s amazing how such a simple kitchen tool can cause such frustration. I have also had my ups and downs with probe thermometers. I always use one and consider this tool an essential — mostly because things like roasted chicken and roast beef and turkey can over cook easily.

I have been using a Polder, and I like the fact that it has a wire that can take high oven heat. On the other hand, the model I bought makes you set the oven temperature as well as the preferred cooking temperature for the food. I hate doing that.

So I just bought an Oneida, but after reading your post, looked to see what kind of wire it has — it’s silicone coated and specifically says not to use in an oven higher than 400 degrees F. Wish I had read this before I bought it. I often roast food starting at 450 degrees to give it a crispy surface, then lower the temp.

I would love a followup on how you like the Oxo. I like their vegetable peelers so would be predisposed to try the probe.

My mother tested her chickens and turkeys using the fork method. You pierced the thigh and if the juices ran yellow you knew the chicken was done. Unfortunately, with that method you never knew for how long those juices were running yellow! I don’t know how she judged the roast beef. Somehow she had this internal clock that let her know the meat would be rare.

Barbecued Brisket with Mango Barbecue Sauce for Memorial Day

Judging by the traffic, Memorial Day weekend started yesterday, when it took me an extra half hour to get where I was going. I hate driving in traffic, but it did give me a chance to think about what to serve now that the weather is great and I will be out at the grill more often.

One of my favorites is Texas-style barbecued brisket. I make it a couple of times during the summer and everyone I know, even the people who say they never eat beef, eat this because you just can’t say no to it.

I don’t know if it’s the sauce I use — my own mango barbecue sauce — or the meat, but this dish is a winner.

You have to pre-braise the brisket, otherwise it gets hard as a rock on the grill. If you don’t want to bother with that, you can use the sauce for flank steak, skirt steak and also chicken parts or boneless breasts, without first pre-cooking.

Here’s the recipe for the Mango Barbecue Sauce:

Mango Barbecue Sauce

• 1 large ripe mango
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup bottled chili sauce
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Peel the mango and puree the flesh in a food processor. Heat the vegetable oil in a nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for one minute. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the mango puree, chili sauce, orange juice, molasses, soy sauce and cayenne pepper. Stir to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Cook over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until slightly thickened. Let cool.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups

Aprons

olivejuicee:

My new apron.  I love it!  Who says you can’t look cute while cooking?!

I have another my mom gave me, I’m sure that will make its debut soon :]

This apron is really cute. I’d like to see the one your mom gave you.

Your post reminded me of the time when I was in the 8th grade in a class called Home Ec, where we learned to make such delicious tidbits as tunafish salad slathered on long strips of white bread and then rolled like jelly rolls and cut into 1-inch pieces. That’s what passed for hors d’oeuvre in the late 1950s.

But we also had to make our own aprons. I loved cooking but HATED sewing. I picked out a flowery pattern and did the best I could to cut it and put it together and although it was a little lopsided, it was good enough to pass the course.

The best thing about that apron though was that I learned very quickly that covering half of me during a cooking session was not good enough. I am a very messy cook. I wipe my hands on my apron and by the time I am finished with a recipe the apron is loaded with blotches and smears. I should wear a chef’s coat. Instead I wear a full apron and I’ve learned not to wipe my hands on my sleeves. I wish I could wear a cute apron.

William Buter on Strawberries

“Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did.”

— William Butler, English writer 17th century, writing about strawberries

Risotto with Baby Artichokes, Peas, Ramps, and Brie

The addition of brie is brilliant. Makes ordinary risotto richer and creamier. Can’t wait to try this

homecooksuperstar:

I had some freshly made vegetable stock on hand and didn’t want to let those delicious braised baby artichokes go to waste. Plus I was hording ramps like a crazy person, so I decided to use put them together to make a risotto.

Oh. My. Lord. It was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I’m not kidding and feel like an ego manic saying it because it is my recipe, but Oh. My. Lord.

Recipe, Notes, and Nutritional Information via sarahmcsimmons.com

Strawberry Shortcake

I made the strawberry shortcake for my guests last weekend and even though I bought the berries in a supermarket (no farmer’s markets near me open yet), the dessert was a winner and everyone, including the two people on Weight Watchers ate every last crumb.

Adding a little Grand Marnier is a good tip if the berries aren’t the absolute best.

I also made the biscuits a little fatter than usual – 7 circles cut out of the dough instead of the usual 8. They were moist and fluffy and took in all the lush strawberry juices and thick, almost-whipped cream. I used 6 of the biscuits for company. I ate the extra one for lunch a few hours before my friends came. My mother always told me not to experiment with recipes for company, so I thought it would be a good idea to make sure the thicker biscuit would be okay.