hummus

baked squash blossoms stuffed w/ beet hummus /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

so remember last week when i was all, gardening on my fire escape is awesome; it's so rewarding and amazing. well this past week we woke up to find that 2 of the largest of our squash somewhat viciously pulled from their stems and, regretfully, chewed up and spit out!  i kept that half-eaten on the counter in the kitchen for a couple days because i didn't have it in me to throw such a little beauty away...(insert a very sad emoji face).  then, a few days later, i found little green aphids on a blossom.  luckily i found them early enough to where they didn't cause any damage.  i was the last person to think that a second floor fire escape would attract squirrels (!) and then bugs!  so i guess in the end, nature is awesome but you can't expect it to be easy when you take it into your own hands.  lesson learned.

before frank and i left a few weeks ago to visit his family, i harvested a good amount of squash blossoms from my garden that i didn't want to go to waste, along with a couple of beets.  i was planning on making hummus to take on the trip with me and thought that i might as well stuff the blossoms since i had them.  i used my baked squash blossom recipe from last year because i wanted to keep it a bit more clean than the fried route.  i share this recipe today, because not only is hummus seriously amazing inside a flower, BUT, baked hummus is a thing and i love it!  it takes on a bit of smokiness in the oven and it lent such an awesome, and unexpected flavor. look out for everything with baked hummus come fall 2014!

just a couple of notes:

baked squash blossoms stuffed w/ beet hummus (v +gf)

ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup tahini paste
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 3 small beets, roasted and skins removed
  • water, to thin
  • one dozen squash blossoms, stamens removed
  • olive oil, for baking
  • large grain sea salt, for sprinkling

instructions

  • preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • place chickpeas, lemon juice, salt, tahini, garlic, and beets into a food processor and pulse until blended.  add water, a teaspoon at a time, to thin consistency (you don't want to add too much water because you want hummus to be on the thicker side so when it bakes it doesn't run).  transfer hummus to a small mixing bowl
  • on a clean work surface, carefully stuff each squash blossom with a few teaspoons of beet hummus and gently twist the end to close; repeat with remaining blossoms.  place them on the prepared baking sheet; using a pastry brush, evenly brush each blossom with a light coat of olive oil.  sprinkle with the salt and transfer to the oven.  bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until crisp and golden
  • let the squash blossoms cool for a minute or two, then serve immediately 

enjoy!

roasted garlic hummus /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

dsc_0988.jpg

a few months ago a new cookbook came out called, jerusalem by yotam ottolenghi. i had been able to preview parts of the book through a website i follow, 101cookbooks, and the beautiful images are what initially caught my eye. each page illustrates the every day lives of jerusalem's inhabitants and how food perhaps is one thing that unites them. here is one part of the introduction that has stuck with me:

"although jerusalemites have so much in common, food, at the moment, seems to be the only unifying force in this highly fractured place...it is sad to note how little daily interaction there is between communities, with people sticking together in closed, homogeneous groups. food, however, seems to break down those boundaries on occasion. you can see people shop together in food markets, or eat at one another's restaurants...it takes a giant leap of faith, but we are happy to take it - what have we got to lose? - to imagine that hummus will eventually bring jerusalemites together, if nothing else will."

i used the recipe from jerusalem in combination with the smitten kitchen variation of it. seriously, best. hummus. ever! however, achieving this totally-worth-it-hummus was no easy task. in deb perelman's (smitten kitchen) hummus post, she gave up the trick to smooth, creamy hummus: skinless chickpeas! who knew!? whether you are using dried chickpeas or ones out of the can, deb insists that one has to "pop" each chickpea individually out of its shell/skin. tedious? yes! worth the aggravation and work? yes!

adapted from jerusalem and smitten kitchen

DSC_0946
DSC_0977

makes a little under 2 cups

1 3/4 cups cooked, drained chickpeas (from a 15-ounce can) or a little shy of 2/3 cup dried chickpeas 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (for dried chickpeas only) 1/2 cup tahini paste 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste 8 cloves roasted garlic 1/2 teaspoon table salt, or more to taste approximately 1/4 cup water

::for dried chickpeas::

in a bowl soak dried chickpeas with water that is twice their volume (just make sure the there's a few inches of water covering the chickpeas). leave them to soak overnight. the next day, drain the chickpeas. in a sautè pan over medium-high heat, combine the chickpeas with the baking soda (apparently this reduces the gassy effects of dried beans!). stir constantly for about 3 minutes. add 3 1/4 cups of water - bring to a boil. once it boils turn down to a slow simmer (i had my heat up too high, my beans got quite mushy and were hard to peel later on). use a slotted spoon to skim the foam from the surface. they will cook for 20-40 minutes. you will know that they're ready when they break easily between you thumb and finger.

drain the chickpeas. you can either let them cool on their own, or run them under cold water.

::for dried and canned chickpeas::

here is the important part: peel your peas! place the chickpeas between your thumb, forefinger and middle finger and pop them out one by one.

in a food processor or blender, blend the chickpeas until clumps form. next, add the tahini, lemon juice, salt, and roasted garlic, blend until pureed. add water by the tablespoon until you get desired consistency.

transfer the hummus to a bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. let it sit longer if possible to let the ingredients marinate.

::enjoy::