Crave (3)
The food I can´t get enough of!
Making Fresh Hummus
Hummus seems to be sticking around longer than I first expected. Once, an appetizer found only in Greek diners or Lebanese restaurants, hummus has found a way to become mainstream in the US. Grocers now offer more then a handful of flavors and brands of Hummus but making it fresh is really simple and can prepared in a food processor in about 5 minutes or less. I like to use dried garbanzo beans, or chickpeas, which do require soaking overnight starting out in hot water. Canned garbanzos are processed with salt and disodium EDTA to promote color retention. So…that is why I like to use dried garbanzos in place of canned. The trick is to soak them long enough to get them fully tender. Once I’ve soaked about 2 cups of dried beans in hot water for at least 12 hours, I drain them and place them in a food processor. Quickly I’ll add about 2 ounces of fresh lemon juice, 3 cloves of fresh minced garlic, and 4 tablespoons of tahini, a paste made from hulled sesame seeds. I pulse this for about 45 to 60 seconds or until the mixture is smooth and without lumps. I then add about ? to ? cup of good green virgin olive oil along with sea salt while the food processor is running. A good hummus should be able stand up on its own on a spoon when turned upside down. I serve my hummus with small triangles of pita, sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray and toasted in a 300 oven for about 15 minutes. For a healthier appetizer, serve a bowl of hummus, topped tableside with a drizzle of fresh olive oil along with sliced cucumbers, carrots and cherry tomatoes. Although a classic hummus is my favorite, you can flavor hummus with red pepper, artichokes, fresh herbs, or aromatics such as caramelized onions. I’ve read recipes that use edamame, or soybeans in place of chickpeas. Hummus is delicious, high in iron, vitamin C, protein and fiber.
Great handmade Chinese Dumplings stuffed from ground fresh pork, diced waterchesnuts, shredded cabbage, grated fresh ginger, soy sauce, a hint of teriyaki, minced scallions and lightly dusted with cornstarch.
I used a handy dumpling maker to stuff and shape the dumplings. You can find one here by copying and pasting this address:
http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/27477-Stainless-Steel-Ravioli-Pierogi-Dumpling-Maker-Large.aspx?sourcecode=CW4GG4036&;gclid=COKUoOvV57ECFcfb4Aod5zkA3w
Tonight, I'll steam them single layered in my bamboo steamer or in a double boiler sprayed with non stick vegetable spray.
Here is a rough recipe for the dumpling stuffing
8 oz ground pork
3 scallion whites, minced
1/2 garlic clove. minced
8 water chesnuts, small dice
1 cup finely shredded Napa or bok choy
1 tsp grated ginger 2 T soy sauce
2 T teriyaki sauce (optional)
Mix the ingredients together and refrigerate for a few hours Moisten round wonton wrappers with water, place a small spoonful of the mix in the center and fold over- refrigerate. Use cornstarch to keep the dumplings from sticking to one another (sprinkle some under the dumplings. I love the gadget that I used to shape the dumplings. See the link above.
Brian
It was pizza night at Shell Beach tonight. Fresh dough made with bread and 00 Italian flour, salt, olive oil, water, yeast and my Italian sour dough starter. The dough was retarded in the fridge for 3 days which later developed into a beautiful crispy crust. I slowly caramelized shaved white onions in olive oil mixed with cans of San Marzano imported whole plum tomatoes; a touch of sea salt and fresh grated Regianno. The dough was hand stretched into a lightly greased sheet pan (I like my pizzas to be square), topped with the tomatoes, fresh shredded whole milk mozzarella and sliced smoked bacon and baked in a hot 500 degree preheated oven. I always start my pizza placed on the bottom (hearth) of the oven. Once the crust has set up (3-4 minutes later), I move the pan to the middle of the oven until the cheese is bubbly, the bacon is cooked and the crust is crispy. Seriously delicious umami-esque pizza almost as good as Sallys Pizza in New Haven (almost).