Beet Hummus

I saw a passing reference to Beet Hummus on someone's Facebook page.  (ah, ain't that sophisticated)  and was intrigued.  We decided to improvise this past weekend, I think with spectacular results.  Here's what we came up with:

Beet Hummus

1 can beets, drained (or the equivalent amount, baked and peeled--about 3-4 medium sized beets)
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of almonds or walnuts, toasted
a good handful of fresh mint, coarsely chopped
**1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (balsamic vinegar and a pinch of brown sugar will do if you don't keep crazy stuff like that around)
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Whizz all that together in the food processor and taste.  You may need to add a bit of water to thin it down to an appealing consistency.  I have been reminded recently how very appealing blenders and food processors are to kids.  We've been making a lot of salad dressings and dips with the crew, which is a great way to then have them downing tons of fruit and veg, sampling their creations.

As you can see from the picture, this is a spectacular color and would be really striking to offer along with regular hummus and other dips for a an appetizer or light dinner.  

**This is a really fun pantry ingredient, if you can lay your hands on it.  Middle Eastern groceries carry it and the flavor is sweet tart perfumy all at once.  It's great drizzled in salad dressing or over hot grains.  It keeps just about as long as typical molasses in the cupboard.

As you can see from the picture, I was having a dip sort of weekend.  Beet hummus and two kinds of salsa.  Sometimes dinner doesn't get much better than some good bread, crackers or chips, something to dip or slather and lots of good veggies and fruit. Oh . . and maybe a glass of wine.

Tomato Soup via Chennai

 I've made the below tomato soup for years, it comes from the original Moosewood Cookbook and is deliciously everything tomato soup should be.  But, as a good friend once said of me and my cooking, I never do leave well enough alone.  Last week I was craving something spicier and more eastern.  I took the recipe below and added a 2 teaspoons of garam masala instead of the dill.  And instead of the simple yogurt and scallion topping I topped it with dollops of this:

1/2 cup yogurt
zest from one lemon
2 minced green onions
1 finely diced fresh tomato
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (cilantro, mint or basil would be good too)

Mix together and spoon on top of the soup at the last minute so you have a contrast of hot and cold. 



Spicy Tomato Soup


1 1/2 cups minced onion
3 cloves garlic -- crushed
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/8 teaspoon black pepper -- or more
2 pounds canned tomatoes -- crushed
OR:
6 cups canned tomatoes -- chopped with liquid
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon mayonnaise -- or sour cream


  yogurt, parsley & scallions for topping

Saute onions and garlic, with salt, in combined olive oil and butter in a
kettle or large saucepan. Cook five minutes - until translucent- then add
dill, pepper, tomatoes and honey. Cover and simmer at least 45 minutes -
low heat.

Five minutes before serving, whisk in mayonnaise or sour cream . Taste to
correct seasonings.

Salsa

If you know me, you know I feel pretty passionate about waiting to eat produce until it's at it's very seasonal best, for a variety of reasons.  And it's tomato and tomatillo season, finally, after a long rainy Seattle summer.  Right now the fridge has two of my favorite salsas in it--all ready for dipping and topping and snacking and slathering.

Peter Reinhart's Green Salsa (from Sacramental Magic in a Small Town Cafe)


2 1/2 cups fresh tomatillos, quartered
1 small onion, quartered
*1-3 teaspoons smoked chili flakes or 2-8 fresh jalapenos
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 large avocado, seeded and scooped
3 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup white vinegar
salt and sugar to taste

Put all this in the food processor and puree.  Taste and adjust--you may need more vinegar, salt or sugar.  If you've actually grown tomatillos in your garden, this is indescribably good with still frozen tomatillos on a hot day--a savory icee, so to speak, scooped up with chips.

*You know your taste for hot best--if you tend to be sensitive, start on the cautious end and add more.   I've been known to add as many as seven jalapenos . . . .


Pebre (Chilean Pico de Gallo from Sundays at Moosewood)

1/3 cup sliced green onion 
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro 
4 medium tomatoes, chopped 
2 tablespoons hot sauce (Tabasco or your favorite brand) 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
1 tablespoon cider vinegar 
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (give your self extra points if you grind it fresh)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together in a bowl and refrigerate.  You can add a lot of things to this and make it almost a side dish--sliced zucchini, radishes, finely chopped cabbage.  Do remember the acidity may leach color out of things and so it's prettiest eaten within an hour or two.  It stays delicious for several days.

Well, Hello There . . .

I've thought off and on for several years about starting a blog.  I can't recall exactly when I discovered this medium but it has always been such a wonderful glimpse of other people's lives and interests--all over the globe.  I finally fell off of/onto the Facebook wagon last year when I was unemployed and I often find myself wanting to say a little more about dinner last night, or the fresh raspberries this morning or the idea I had about lunch tomorrow, so here I am.  Yet another blogger in a well-saturated field . . talking about food.  Hope you'll join the conversation.