Hummus 2.0

Okay, Chickens, here is the thing about hummus.  It's become ubiquitous, and as a result, sort of uninteresting.  I mean, somewhere between "What the heck is this, wallpaper paste?" and "There are forty-seven flavors of hummus at my local grocery store" hummus lost it's appeal for me.

I first was introduced to hummus in college at Brandeis, where, in the main dining hall, there was a section called (horrifically) Nature's Way.  Which I thought sounded like a laxative.  And looking at the offerings, probably sort of was.  If you chose this for your lunch or dinner option, the bored looking ladies in the hairnets would take a paper plate, cover it with shredded lettuce, a scoop of chopped cucumbers, a scoop of chopped tomatoes and then ask for your options.  You got three.  Among your choices were tabouleh salad, falafel, sprouts, some sort of cous cous, babaganoush, and of course, hummus.   You would pick your items, they would get deposited on top of your salad, topped with a truly spectacular large pita bread, and off you would go feeling very virtuous.  Which was useful when at midnight the Chinese Food guy would come down the dorm hallway and you would eat your weight in dumplings and pork lo mein.

The hummus at school was the texture of natural peanut butter from the 1970s.  Gritty and pasty, stick to the roof of your mouth thick, and kind of unpleasant.  Their version was lacking in lemon and salt and heavy on the garlic.  I often ordered it, and never finished it.  I thought I didn't like hummus.  I was wrong.

After college, hummus suddenly started showing up at every party.  The beige tub, usually accompanied by a bag of baby carrots and maybe a wan celery stick or pita chip, was at every event large or small.  I would taste it here and there, mostly out of boredom.  Some were bad, some were okay, a few were good, none were amazing.  Then one night, somewhere around 1998, sitting on the porch of some pals with a bunch of fabulous people, I reflexively reached for a carrot and dunked it in the hummus.  Delicious!  Who knew?  Velvety smooth, not heavy or pasty at all, and full of fresh chickpea flavor brightened with lemon and the umami undertone of tahini.

And I asked for the recipe.  And then never made it.

Because if I need hummus, I am not going to remember to go buy the dried chickpeas, soak them overnight, cook them, let them sit till they cool, REMOVE THE SKINS...I get tired just thinking about it.  I didn't need magic hummus that badly.  I found a store brand that was as close as I could find to the texture I like, Basha, which they carry at my Costco, and let that be my go-to hummus, doctoring it up with a spritz of lemon, and a drizzle of olive oil and toasted pine nuts.  Peeling chickpeas just wasn't going to be in my future.  It's why I don't make fava beans, thank you very much.

Over the years, I have developed a recipe for a hummus substitute that uses canned white beans, which are softer and creamier than chickpeas, so if I feel compelled to make something from scratch, I go with that.  And when I am in New York staying with my amazing friend Liz, we pick up some of the good stuff at The Hummus Place on Amsterdam, and go to town.  I am sad we don't have one in Chicago, because their hummus is transcendant.

But sometimes you are just waiting for the right equipment.

You know that I do not, as a rule, advocate for the most expensive of anything, unless I really think of it as a long term investment.  I think there are excellent kitchen products that are very reasonably priced and have terrific value.  My most recommended kitchen tool is the $30 Kuhn Rikon Swiss Chop Chop, I give them to everyone, and use mine at least three or four times a week.  Love it.

When it comes to small appliances, my usual rule is to look at how often I am likely to use something, and whether the difference between the options is truly function or just bells, whistles, and packaging.  With the current juicing and smoothie craze, blenders are getting better and better.  There are a lot on the market, and most of them will work well for general use.

Which didn't stop me and Charming Suitor from coveting the Vitamix.  Those are the professional blenders you see on all the cooking shows, with the super cool black plastic plungers that the chefs can use to move stuff around in the container while the blades are still going.  I don't think Bobby Flay could make a chili oil without them.   Charming Suitor has been making noises about them for a year or so, and we know how I feel about shiny kitchen appliances.  Our hesitation has always been the price.  It is, without a doubt, an serious investment blender.  But after two recent less-than-successful experiences with our standby Warings, one a chilled soup that never got smooth, and a set of sad milkshakes, not to mention that they are now sometimes available at Costco at reduced prices, we agreed that it was an investment worth making.  We decided it is like a KitchenAid stand mixer.  You can play with others, but at the end of they day, they are worth it, because they do everything they are supposed to do, and they do it FOREVER.

Vitamix is the Michael Jordan of blenders.  It is just so head and shoulders above everything else, not to mention practically indestructible, that you realize it is a superior quality you are paying for.  And don't get me wrong.  If you make two batches of margaritas a year, and gravy for Thanksgiving and let your blender gather dust the other 362, do not make this investment.  But if you use a blender more than once a month?  You should strongly consider it.  And if you use it more than once a week?  You should just stop reading and go buy one RIGHT NOW.

With Passover this week, I knew I was probably going to serve hummus as an appetizer.  And I thought, what better maiden voyage for the new machine than my nemesis.  I was going to see if canned chickpeas with their skins on could substitute for the tedious prepared beans that my recipe calls for, and find out if I could flip the script on hummus.

To say that the hummus was successful would be to downplay the ridiculous ethereal cloud of delicious that erupted out of this machine.

We started simple.

Two cans of drained chickpeas.

12 oz. of tahini (get it fresh ground if you can, it is amazing stuff)

3 oz of lemon juice, 4 oz of grapeseed oil, some salt.  6 oz of water.

And then?  MAGIC.

Can you see the smoothness of this, despite my continuing to be a crappy photographer?  Not heavy, not gritty, insanely smooth and supple and light.  It literally melts on the tongue.  Charming Suitor took one bite and nearly passed out, since he likes most hummi, including the kind of crappy ones.

Yep.  Vitamix fixed the hummus problem.

I was a little annoyed at the "don't put it in the dishwasher" part, since I HATE to wash dishes, but a half a container of water and a drop of dishsoap, a quick whiz, and the bowl was clean and just needed rinsing, so not nearly as onerous as it could be.

Stay tuned as Spring continues, because we are going to be testing some soups and other yummies, and will be passing on the recipes as we go.  In the meantime, I can say that if you are ready to make a blender investment, or have been wavering on the Vitamix and wondering if it is worth it, wonder no more.  If it could fix my hummus problem, it can do anything.

Yours in good taste, and wishing you happy holidays if you are celebrating this week,
The Polymath

Contest Winner!

Congrats to Liongoddess!  You have won a signed copy of Dana Bate's new novel...

E-mail me your shipping address at staceyballisinfo (at) gmail (dot) com and we will get it out to you ASAP.

Guest Post- Dana Bate

Hello Chickens!  Wanted to introduce you to a pal of mine.  Dana Bate has just released her debut novel, a delicious foodie fiction romp that I was privileged to be able to read an early copy of and blurb.  My little recommendation even made it onto the front cover, which caused all sorts of squee-ing around here.  Anyhoo, I thought I would let Dana tell you a bit about the book and share a fab recipe with you all.  Even better?  She is giving away a signed copy to one of you lucky readers...just comment with the title of a foodie book you love and recommend to the rest of us.  Much as I love adulation, please no books of mine...I've read them and I need some new titles for my own pile!  Comment with your rec by 11:59PM on Friday Feb. 22, and I'll announce the winner on Saturday.

I'm still mostly on mental hiatus after finishing my latest, Out to Lunch, which will be in your hot little hands this December, but I will be back the first week of March with some fun giveaways, new product recommendations, and a couple killer recipes.  Till then....here's Dana!

Yours in Good Taste,

The Polymath

Stacey has been kind enough to let me stop by her blog and say hello to all of her favorite chickens, so that I can tell you a little about my debut novel, THE GIRLS’ GUIDE TO LOVE AND SUPPER CLUBS. Thank you, Stacey!

Here’s the 411 on the book: The story centers on a 26-year-old woman named Hannah Sugarman who is having…well, let’s call it a quarter-life crisis. She is stuck in a wonky job at a DC think tank, but all she wants to do is cook. Unfortunately, no one supports her dreams of becoming a professional cook – especially not her parents, who are both famous economics professors. Without the support system or courage to do what she loves, she instead tries to have her cake and eat it, too: she continues working at her think tank job, but on the side, she starts an underground supper club out of her landlord’s townhouse – a possibly illegal venture that becomes both highly successful and highly problematic. Let’s just say not everything goes as planned…

The story is peppered with menus and recipes for dishes like brisket, pretzel bread (highly recommended!), and smoked Gouda grilled cheese. One recipe not listed in the appendix, however, is a recipe for Hannah’s cinnamon buns – the very cinnamon buns Stacey mentions in her blurb on the cover! Given how much pride Hannah takes in her cinnamon buns, this is an oversight of the gravest sort.

And so, today I hope to make amends by sharing Hannah’s cinnamon bun recipe with all of you. Contrary to what one of the characters in the book says, these buns are pretty freaking great.

(To read an excerpt of the book, click here!)

And don't forget to comment with your favorite foodie read, and one of you will get a signed copy of The Girl's Guide to Love and Supper Clubs!

Hannah Sugarman’s Cinnamon Buns

Yield: 8

Hannah prides herself on the brioche-like dough she uses for her cinnamon buns, which makes the buns fluffy and delicious. Her trick? Layering cream cheese into the dough, which makes the rolls even softer and richer (a trick she learned in Saveur magazine). The best part about this recipe? You can refrigerate the sliced cinnamon buns overnight and just pop them in the oven in the morning. You can adjust the amount of cinnamon to your taste. For someone who adores cinnamon and can’t get enough, use 3 tablespoons; for someone who thinks a little cinnamon goes a long way, use two.

For the dough:

1 (¼-oz.) package active dry yeast

½ tsp. plus ¼ cup sugar

½ cup milk, at room temperature

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 ¾ cups flour, plus more for kneading

¾ tsp. fine salt

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

For the filling:

¾ cup light brown sugar

2-3 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. fine sea salt

1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 ½ tbsp. (or more) milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine yeast, ½ tsp. of the sugar, and ¼ cup water heated to 115°F (warm to the touch). Stir to combine and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add remaining sugar, milk, light brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk and whisk to combine, making sure the eggs are incorporated. Add the flour and salt. Mix with the dough hook on medium speed until the dough just comes together. Turn mixer speed to high and knead dough for 4 minutes. Add the softened butter one piece at a time until it is all incorporated (this will take several minutes). Continue kneading until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from the mixer, cover with buttered plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place. Let the dough rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, make the filling. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

When the dough has risen, punch the dough down and turn it out onto a heavily floured surface. Gently knead the dough until it's no longer sticky, adding more flour as necessary, about 1 minute. The dough will be soft and supple.

Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10" x 10" square. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese with a rubber spatula until it's smooth and spreadable. Spread the cream cheese evenly over the dough square; then fold square into thirds as you would fold a letter to fit it into an envelope. Take the open ends of the resulting rectangle and fold into thirds again, to make a smaller dough square. Invert the dough so that the seam is face down and, using the rolling pin, gently roll into a 10" x 20" rectangle.

Turn the dough so that the short sides are parallel to you. Brush the top of the dough with the tablespoon of melted butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling over the dough, leaving a 1" border at the edge farthest away from you. Lightly press the filling into the dough. Using your hands (and a dough scraper if you need it), lift up the bottom edge of the dough and roll it forward into a tight cylinder. Place dough cylinder, seam side down, on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, trim off the ends; cut cylinder crosswise into 8 equal-size slices. Nestle the slices, cut sides up and evenly spaced from one another, into a buttered 9" x 13" light-colored metal baking pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and either (a) set aside in a warm place to let rise for 2 hours, or (b) place in the refrigerator overnight.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F. Uncover the buns. If you refrigerated them overnight, let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

While the buns are baking, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth.

When the buns are done, transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let them cool for 5 minutes. Drizzle the glaze all over the cinnamon buns. Serve immediately.

  

Healthy Crunch Salad

Well, Chickens, I hope the weird weather where you are is as exciting as the roller coaster we are having here in Chi-town...60 in January???

Mmmm.  Global Warming.  Hello, tiger.  Welcome.

Things here are good, weather notwithstanding.   Despite a 24 hour stomach bug, UGH, I have managed to finish my new book, Out To Lunch, coming to a retailer near you this December.  It is off to my editor, and I am in that blissful brief time when it is actually out of my hands, and I cannot do anything about it till I get my edit notes.  Can we say brain vacation?  It's another foray into foodie fiction, with more recipes than ever before, and I hope you are going to love it.

Charming Suitor and I have been sticking to our commitment to healthier living, he has joined me in my low-carb diet, and we are exercising together regularly, which has been so much better than going it alone.

As a part of this plan, Tuesday nights after work we are taking a group tennis lesson.  This has required some planning, since after a full day of work and an hour of running around we are both starving and have little desire to cook.  And since takeout is a little counter-productive after a workout, Tuesday nights have become either slow-cooker meals, or quick salads.

This salad has become a fave, since it is very healthy, very delicious and insanely simple, and goes well with any protein, especially a quick cooking fish or a rotisserie chicken.  My local Whole Foods Market has a terrific salad bar that has a variety of cooked grains and legumes in addition to the usual veggies, so for me this is an easy set up.  But if yours doesn't, you can use leftover grains or cook some specifically for this salad.  Raw cauliflower makes up almost half of the salad, for plenty of crunch and making the grains stretch, perfect for anyone doing low-carb.  Plus it is the perfect thing to serve to your veggie or vegan or gluten-free friends.

Healthy Crunch Salad

2 c cooked mixed whole grains (I use a mix of black and red quinoa, farro, bulgur, and kamut, but use what you like)
1 c cooked lentils or the bean of your choice
1/2 c shredded carrot
1/4 c sunflower seeds (or the nut of your choice)
2 c finely chopped raw cauliflower, about 1/2 a head of cauliflower  (I blitz it in my chopper or food processor, to get a size and texture close to the grains)
3 T chopped parsley
4 T red wine vinegar
8 T extra virgin olive oil or pumpkin seed oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the grains and veggies in a large bowl.  Dress with red wine vinegar and olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

What are your go-to quick dishes?

Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath

Hamtastic

Hello Chickens!  Is it freezing where you are?  Because Chicago is frigid.  Luckily, I'm done with my errands for the day, and don't have to go outside again till Charming Suitor gets home and we have to go to the gym.  Since we both find this the most onerous hour of our day, we finally figured out that it is, like almost everything else in life, infinitely better when we do it together.   Exercise is hateful, but at least when you do it with someone you love, it is manageable.  So four days a week we are getting each other motivated to get on those treadmills.  We are also taking tennis lessons together, which is even more fun.

Not nearly as much fun as buying our first home, however!

Isn't she lovely?

I have lived in the first floor apartment in this building for 19 years.  The moment I first set foot inside, I knew I was home, deeply and profoundly, in the most meaningful way possible.  The day I signed the lease, the landlord and I entered into a handshake agreement to give me right of first refusal to purchase the building if he ever decided to sell.  In the nearly two decades that have ensued, I have traded up four cars, three beds, two Kitchenaid mixers, and one husband.  And many thought I was insane for not just giving up on the dream and investing in a home of my own years and years ago.  But despite what most might think, while I am in many ways an instant gratification kind of girl, when it comes to the most important things in my life?  I am PATIENT.  I know what's worth waiting for.  I waited ten years for Charming Suitor, and he was worth every moment, every horrible first date, every lonely Valentine's Day.  And this is the cherry on top of our dream, a place to truly call our own.

There is something to be said for holding on so that your first house can be your dream house.

One of the things that isn't perfect about this place, is that the kitchen is so far away from the living room, it's hard to use your nose in cooking.  In other spaces, both CS and I can just smell when the cookies are done, or the cake is ready, or the chicken is perfect.  But not here.  By the time the scent reaches you in the living room, the cookies are burnt, the cake is dry, the chicken is desiccated.  And even when I'm cooking something delicious for dinner, it rarely has that permeating welcome home scent.

Except for certain things.  And, we discovered over the holidays that this ham is one of them.

Boo-yah.

I almost never make ham.  I love it, but there are only two of us, and hams tend to be large and unwieldy, and don't offer a ton of leftovers options we really like except sandwiches.  And, with many apologies to my Mom, the ham of my childhood was slorped from a can suspended in icky gel, weirdly shaped like a squashed football, covered in orange marmalade.  Somewhat mealy in texture and mostly tasting of salt.  Not exactly comfort food.

But we look forward to Christmas and Easter for the sheer hamitude.  Our wonderful Farmer Paulie, from Paulie's pasture gifted us an enormous ham, from one of his hand-raised hogs.  And so we volunteered to bring the ham for Christmas Day with my brother from another mother Officer K and the rest of my adopted extra family.  They agreed, and this is the recipe I came up with.

It made the whole house smell like happy.  Which was perfect, because this is always a happy house.

And now, really truly ours.

I hope wherever you call home is happy as we start this new year together.  Make this ham.  It smells like home.

Glazed Ham

1 whole bone-in ham, about 12 pounds

(you can use spiral sliced if you want, but I find that they tend to be less moist than whole hams you slice yourself, see if your butcher can get you one if you don’t have good access at the grocery store)

1 8 oz jar mango chutney

2 oz ginger jam or ginger syrup

2 T finely grated shallot

1 c light brown sugar

zest and juice of 1 orange

½ c strong Dijon mustard, I prefer Maille brand

3 T tomato paste

2 T hoisin sauce

salt and pepper

½ t red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350.  If you are using an unsliced ham, score the skin and fat of the ham in a diamond pattern.  Place the ham in a roasting pan, and put 1 c of water in the bottom.

Mix all glaze ingredients in a bowl.  Spread the glaze all over the ham, being sure to get it into the scores.  Cover the pan loosely with foil, trying not to touch the surface of the ham, but still sealing in the edges.   Bake for 2 hours.  Remove foil and bake an additional half an hour or so to caramelize the glaze.  You can hold in a 200 degree oven for up to two more hours before serving.

Serves 16-20

What are the recipes that make your house smell like home?  Share in the comments!

Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath

Congrats to our winner!

Bev V, I know I am not the only one looking forward to trying your Pork and Three Bean Chili!

Shoot me your shipping address to staceyballisinfo (at) gmail (dot) come and I will get your prizes out to you this week.

For everyone else, thanks for the great new ideas!

As for me, I'm back to finishing the new book, but I'll pop in and say hi again soon as I can.

Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath

Tis the Season, for Braising!

Chickens-

I hope everyone has recovered from Thanksgiving and is gearing up for the rest of the festive season.

Charming Suitor and I have set up our first Xmas Tree/Hanukah Bush.  I think it is adorable.

(For the longer story of this special tree, CLICK HERE)

We kept it simple, little fairy lights, mini mirrored disco balls for sparkle, and a garland of felt balls in 40 different colors for bright.  And of course, the traditional Star of David topper.  It is made of salvaged staves from French oak wine barrels, and if you are curious, yes, wine does smell just as festive as pine.

Despite the fact that as I write this it is in the mid-60s outside, it is still Fall and for me, Fall means braising.  I love the way a slow cooked dish makes the house smell delicious, I love that they are dishes that are almost impossible to screw up and don't need fussing.  I love that they are the perfect thing for dinner parties, letting you make your main course the day or even two or three days before and reheat in a low oven, making for a relaxed hostess.

As promised, I want to share one of my new favorite braises, a basque-inspired stew of chicken thighs and chorizo sausage and chickpeas.  It is a wonderful bowl of spicy and savory warmth on a cold night, and is great for a casual Tuesday night dinner for two or a Saturday night dinner party for eight.  Serve it with a warming Spanish rioja or a crisp white Gruner Veltliner.  A simple salad of butter lettuce dressed with lemon, olive oil, and fried capers and some crusty bread are all you need for a complete and lovely meal.

And since it is time for a new recipe, how about a new gadget!

This is a recipe rock from Architec!  I'm loving this thing.  I keep all my recipes in my computer.  When I want to make something, I print a copy, that way it doesn't matter if it gets stained or shredded, I just throw it away when I am done.  But I'm always elbowing it off the counter, or trying to keep it out of my way.  For a while I was taping recipes to the kitchen cabinets.  Not anymore.  A very cool and simple item...there is a powerful magnet in the base, and a ball bearing.  You can take your recipe or recipe card and slide it between the ball bearing and the base and it holds it upright so you can read it easily, and it stays out of the way!  Even better, it is VERY reasonably priced and a perfect stocking stuffer or small Hanukkah present for your favorite cook, or a happy present for yourself.

Basque Braised Chicken Thighs with Artichokes, Chorizo and Chickpeas

4 ounces Spanish chorizo, sliced 1/4-inch thick  (this is a cured sausage red with paprika, do not substitute fresh Mexican chorizo here, if you can’t find Spanish chorizo, use a stick of pepperoni)

3 pounds chicken thighs (bone-in, skin on)

Salt and pepper

1 can chickpeas, drained

1 box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

2 small red onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 sprigs fresh thyme

3/4 cup dry sherry

2 c chicken stock

1 cup diced plum tomatoes

2 teaspoons Espelette or Aleppo pepper (if you can’t find these, substitute sweet paprika,  but try to get the Espelette, it is worth it!)

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Handful fresh basil, torn, for garnish

Put a large deep saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Cook the chorizo, stirring occasionally, until chorizo has rendered its fat and is brown and crispy. Remove chorizo with a slotted spoon or spatula to your slow cooker, leaving the fat in the pan.

Season the thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet and brown well on both sides, especially making sure to render the skin so that it is crispy about ten minutes total. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside.

Remove all but two tablespoons of fat in the skillet. Add the onions, garlic, artichokes and thyme. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about five minutes. Add the sherry, tomatoes, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Stir well to dislodge any browned bits and simmer for one minute.  Add this mixture to your slow cooker, put in the chickpeas, and stir to be sure it is all well combined.

Nestle the thighs in the mixture in your slow cooker.  Put in enough chicken stock to come up to the thighs, leaving the top ¼ inch uncovered.  Cover the slow cooker and turn on High for at least 3 hours.  You can then turn to low and hold till dinner time, or cook on low for up to 8 hours.  Before serving, season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with basil. Serve.

If you don’t have a slow-cooker, you can cook in a covered Dutch oven at 350 for 1 ½ hours. 

I also love this over cous cous or brown rice.

Also?   Charming Suitor and I were so hungry for it, and it smelled so delish that I totally forgot to take pictures for you, so you'll have to believe me when I say it was lovely to look at, all burnished reds and golden browns.  Very Autumnal.

So, to celebrate this season, comment with your favorite slow-cooker or braised recipe by 11:59 CST on Sunday Dec. 9, and I will pick one for a little prize package of a Hampton Forge Paring knife set (one veggie, one fruit, one tomato all with covers) and a small folding cutting board to easily get your chopped stuff to the pan.  Winner announced next Monday!

Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath