Ok, so it’s been about 2 months since my last post which probably makes me one of the worst food bloggers on the planet, however, my new found love for Roller Derby has faithfully taken over my life and I’ve been obsessing over skates, wheels, funky knee pads, minimum skills, 27 in 5 laps, crossovers, attending derby boot camps, and NSO-ing. You probably have no idea what I’m talking about but I seriously urge you to YouTube Roller Derby, you will soon witness some pretty badass women, in skates, knocking the crap out of each other. It’s super fast, very strategic and way too much fun – I like to call it super sayian rugby on skates!
Anyway, I digress, you’re here to read about how to make Hummus, the smooth, melt in your mouth, it could actually be butter kind, and Baba Ganoush, a traditional, smokey Arabic dish made from aubergines (eggplants) and various spices & seasonings.
Hummus: This wonderful beige dip is a fundamental dunking ground for carrots and cucumber and has become a staple for many British BBQ’s and picnics. It’s without a doubt one of the most important items on my weekly shopping list and I can bet the same for most of you that this bad boy ends up in your shopping basket. A massive high five to my local Sainsbury’s who now stock endless amounts of hummus in different flavours. My absolute favourite has got to be the Lebanese version (homemade of course), it’s made with lots of tahini and cumin and is ultra creamy & smooth.
After much compulsive dining at my favourite Lebanese restaurant (just to indulge in their hummus), I decided there had to be a more cost effective way to fuel my addiction….. it was time to make my own hummus! Sounds easier enough, right? Wrong, the first batch I made was grainy, stiff and flavourless. I sat and pondered, where did I go wrong with such a simple recipe?
It was back to my favourite restaurant where I summoned the owner for answers “how the hell do you get your hummus so smooth?”. The answer was pretty simple; peeling the skin! My first thought was who the hell has time to sit and peel the skin off of chickpeas? And does it really make that much of difference? I googled, I yahooed, I even asked Siri and every blog and article said the exact same thing “peel the skin”, over and over again. Damn it. I eventually caved in and endured the laborious process of removing the skin from each and every single chickpea.
It’s 20 minutes of your life that you will never get back but wow, what a transformation. Creamy, velvety, dreamy and utterly divine, I kid you not I wanted to lick the blender clean. Adding the avocado and greek yogurt made it richer and more luxurious than ever!
I know I have rambled on about hummus for what seems like an eternity, but definitely give both recipes a whizz, they’re quick and easy and make excellent healthy dips for snacking.
Ingredients
Hummus
200g dried chickpeas
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper & salt
2 large cloves of garlic, roasted
1 lemon, juiced
5 Tbsp tahini
3 Tbsp natural greek yogurt
1/2 avocado chopped
2 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
olive oil
1. Soak chickpeas overnight in plenty of water. When ready drain chickpeas and place them in a medium-sized cooking pot. Cover with plenty of water and boil for 1-2 hours until softened. Once fully cooked, transfer chickpeas to a large sieve or colander over your sink. Run cold water as you rub chickpeas by the handful to remove the skin. (trust me this will help for a smoother, creamier consistency).
2. Transfer the chickpeas into the blender and add cumin, ground coriander, paprika, salt, black pepper, roasted garlic, natural greek yogurt, avocado and tahini. Turn the blender to the lowest possible speed slowly increasing the speed to high. If the mixture becomes too thick to blend, add some olive oil until the texture becomes of a very thick milkshake consistency. Continue blending until completely smooth.
I picked up my tub of tahini from one of the many local Lebanese convenient stores in Oxford, you can store this in the fridge once opened for about 6 months.
Serve topped with olive oil and lemon juice if desired and garnish with paprika and parsley.
Baba Ganoush
2 large aubergines
2 large cloves of garlic, roasted
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp Tahini
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried crushed chilli
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
olive oil
Method/Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200c. Prick each aubergine all over with a fork and place on a baking tray, drizzle on some olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for about 20 minutes, turning once or twice until softened and slightly charred. Allow to cool.
- Once the aubergines are cool enough to touch with your hands, carefully peel off the charred skin, (throw this away) it should be easy to come off. Move the flesh onto your chopping board and chop into medium pieces and then add to a blender.
3. Add garlic (I roasted the garlic for 20 minutes beforehand) into the blender with the aubergine and blend into a paste. Transfer into a small mixing bowl and add the lemon juice, tahini, salt, black pepper, paprika, parlsey and mix until creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. I added a bit more tahini and another pinch of salt.
Garnish with olive oil, crushed chilli flakes and parsley.
I literally devoured both dishes with some toasted multi seeded flatbread, (careful, it’s addictive) but you can eat it with whatever you like 🙂
ENJOY!!!
improvisedkitchenforyou 