Spicy orange hummus…lowfat, high flavor
It’s hot and I find myself preparing and eating sandwiches…for lunch, dinner, even breakfast. Last night everyone was shockingly content with paninis made with Columbo salami, roasted turkey, prosciutto, mozzarella, peperocinis, and tomato. They were easy, succulent, and pleasing…and I stayed cool as I made them. Today for lunch I attempted to put a dent in our ever growing pile of cucumbers by making this flavorful veggie and hummus pita sandwich. Here in Madison we have the best food co-op I’ve ever seen. Willy Street Co-op continues to astound me even after living here for seven years. The produce this time of year is about 99 percent local, the breads are local, the deli is fabulous, and the meat case is lined with local products…a grocery store where you can lose yourself in thoughts of food while knowing that it all comes froma good place. They have a great off-site kitchen to prepare a multitude of dishes for their devoted patrons…I’m totally in love with the spicy orange hummus and its citusy, spicy flavors.
This sandwich couldn’t be simpler. For each sandwich, seed and chop into slices 1/2 a cucumber, 1/2 a bell pepper, 1/2 a red onion, and a whole tomato. Salt the tomato. Cut the pita in two and open the pockets, spread the hummus on the insides and then load on the veggies. Given the juicy audacity of that black krim tomato, this was a sandwich meant to be eaten over the sink or with a bundle of napkins at the ready.
If you can’t make it to Willy you can do the next best thing and make this hummus yourself. You won’t regret it and it’ll help you make a dent in that ever growing pile of fresh veggies.
Spicy orange hummus
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped onions
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 can chickpeas, drained
Put everything in the bowl of your food processor and process until smooth.
Here’s the handy-dandy print version… enjoy!
Ratatouille…no not the movie
No I haven’t seen it…when it comes to animated movies I only watch The Simpson’s at the movie theater and the rest must be viewed on DVD (the small children to adult ratio is too much for me). Yes, I know it’s fabulous and Ruhlman says that it really gets the chef ethos…whatever…it’s still a talking rat. I promise I’ll watch it on DVD.
But I’m talking about ratatouille, the dish, the food, the velvety melange of warmth. There is nothing like summer soul food to warm your…well, soul. Ratatouille is soul food…don’t be mislead into thinking otherwise. During the summer in the south of France tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini are abundant and cheap…toss in some onion, garlic and some herbs and you’ve got ratatouille.
This is such an easy dish to make and I think my favorite part is the prep. Begin by pouring yourself a glass of wine. I favor a well chilled French rose…please, please do not buy a California rose and think it will be the same…it’ll be undrinkable sweet swill. Next line up the ingredients: eggplant, zucchini, onion, garlic, and tomato and get out your favorite knife and start chopping. Contrary to what many cookbooks will tell you, your fresh eggplant needs absolutely no prep other than peeling, chopping, and tossing with olive oil. Zucchini gets chopped into the same size. Onion gets chopped into slices on the vertical, and garlic gets chopped into slices too. The tomato gets a dice about the same size as the eggplant and zucchini. For seasonings I use a liberal amount of red pepper flakes and thyme (I detest herbs de provence). You’ll notice there are no peppers in my ratatouille…I think it distracts from the silky pleasures of the other components.
Heat a large chef pan or another type of wide pan over a medium flame. Add olive oil, onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, and salt and cook over medium heat until it is translucent and some brown is starting. Then add the eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, olive oil, and salt. Cover the pan and allow this to heat up and start releasing their juices. Once that happens you can remove the lid and stir. Continue cooking until the zucchini and eggplant are velvety tender.
Serve this with pasta, couscous, or crusty bread. I like some goat cheese or feta on top…this time I went with feta.
Here is the more precise, printable version of this recipe. Bon appetit!
Savory onion zucchini bread
Since I did my very delicious and sweet chocolate zucchini bread I thought it only fair that I give equal time to its savory cousin. This bread is a bit more versatile in that it can stand in for any bread or cracker at mealtime or snack time. I like it it much more a day after it has baked than I do when it’s fresh out of the oven and I like it even more when it is toasted and smeared with butter or chevre.
Much of the flavor in this bread comes from the grated onion and parmesan. All of the grating can be done with a pulse of the Cuisinart food processor fitted with it’s grating blade. I start with the parmesan and grate what looks like a 1/2 cup and then I set that aside and grate a rather large zucchini and a medium onion. With that out of the way the rest of the bread comes together like any simple quick bread.
I use King Arthur whole wheat white flour to boost the nutritional profile of this bread (I used it in the chocolate zuch bread too). I really like this flour because it has all the fiber and nutritional benefits of traditional whole wheat but not the heavy texture.
I love the way freshly grated nutmeg looks and smells and I think it’s the perfect addition to this bread. It accents the onion and parmesan flavors really nicely. I use a microplane to grate it and I don’t measure it because it has a fluffy texture when it is freshly grated. I guess I recommend about 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg that isn’t grated and about 30 seconds of good grating for those who fresh grate.
Yes, you can butter your loaf pan, in fact I did butter the little one. But I’ve gotten into the habit of using parchment paper and it works so well that I continue to do so. I think the texture of the crust is more tender when I use parchment. But I have no fancy measuring techniques, I just place the pan on the sheet, eyeball it, cut it, and place it in the pan. I use two pieces, one to cover the width and one to cover the length. I do use binder clips to get the paper to stay in place as I fill the pan with the batter. My other two parchment tips are to ditch the container it comes in…it’s better to cut it with scissors than to rip it on the side of that dispenser thing. I also prefer to use a wrapping paper cutting tool like this…although I admit that I seem to have lost mine.
This is the finished product about an hour out of the oven. It’s ok then but trust me here, wrap it up and store it in the refrigerator for a day and then slice off a piece, toast it, and smear it with butter or chevre and have it for breakfast, lunch, a snack, or as an accompaniment to a big salad…you’ll love it.
Postscript:
This morning I created these little breakfast sandwiches for GH and I…they were rather good if I do say so…GH agrees.
Here’s the recipe. I’m sure this can be changed in many ways with different herbs, spices, and complimenting veggies Do my dear readers have any suggestions?
Savory zucchini bread with parmesan and onion
1 large zucchini, grated
1 medium onion, grated
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 stick butter, melted
3 eggs
1/4 cup of honey
3 cups whole wheat white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or 30 seconds of grating a nutmeg on a microplane
1/3 cup milk (if necessary)
Preheat oven to 350ยบ F. Butter a loaf pan or place parchment paper in it.
Stir together the zucchini, onion, eggs, butter, and honey. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg, and then add the parmesan. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Depending on the amount of juice from the zucchini and onion, you may need to add some milk to the batter if it is too thick to combine. I ended up adding about 1/3 cup of milk.
Put the batter in the pan and bake for about 30 minutes. If the top is golden brown then test it with a skewer or knife to see if its done (the skewer or knife will come out clean). If not, bake until it is done.
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then on a rack for at least an hour. This bread is better if wrapped and refrigerated then served the next day. Perfect for toast.
