Lars' Hummus

I like Hummus with a strong garlic flavor, and so you may want to use a bit less than I do, but I think it improves the flavor. The important thing to remember when you make hummus yourself is to use fresh or dried beans - never canned, as they always have a "can" flavor. If you must use canned garbanzos, make sure you rinse them thoroughly.

Ingredients

1/2 pound (1-1/3 c) dried garbanzo beans, (about 3 to 3-1/2 cups cooked)
1/2 cup lemon juice
3-4 large cloves of garlic (6 if small)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup toasted sesame seed oil
1/2 cup tahini (toasted, if available)
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
1-1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
1-2 tbsp water, if needed

Directions

Cook beans according to package instructions. I generally boil them for two minutes in a large pan, with triple height of water. Then I turn off the heat and soak for 1 hour covered and then wash them. Garbanzos will require about 2 hours to cook, after being soaked. To hasten cooking, you can add 1/4 tsp baking soda. After cooking, I rinse them twice with cold water to remove the cooking water.

Put the drained beans in a large food processor with the peeled garlic cloves (coarsely chopped) and the rest of the ingredients. Process until smooth. If it is too thick, thin with water, a tablespoon at a time.

It is difficult to find tahini made from toasted sesame seeds, and this is why I add the toasted sesame seed oil.

---------------

One of the main differences in my recipe is that I do NOT use cumin -- Greek hummus typically does not have it either. I find the flavor of cumin distracting in this dish and instead concentrate on the toasted sesame flavor. You can always take a certain portion of the hummus out and add a bit of cumin to it to see if you like it, but I advise against putting it in the whole batch - it limits your options.

Lars

Marinated Cheese Cubes

2 lbs. cheese cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Garnish: flat-leaf parsley sprigs or fresh rosemary stems

Whisk the spices/herbs into the olive oil & pour over the cheese cubes. Toss until the cheese cubes are all coated. Cover & refrigerate until ready to serve.

Mini-meatballs in sauce (Swedish, BBQ + raspberry preserves, mixture ketchup & chili sauce, etc.) again served with toothpicks are always well received, can be made a couple weeks in advance, & freeze/reheat very well. If there will be a lot of little ones...there's a mess potential.

Here's a way to use crab inexpensively since a little goes a long ways & it looks holiday festive. You could make the filling early in the day & then just pop them in the oven when needed.

Crab & Cranberry Mini-Cups

1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce - homemade is best (or purchased)
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 Cup Crab Meat, minced
2 Tablespoons Green Onion, white and green parts, sliced
15 Individual Mini-Phyllo Shells, thawed

Preheat oven to 375�F.

Place cranberry sauce in a small mixing bowl; beat with a fork or wire whisk until smooth.

Combine cream cheese, crab meat and green onion in a small mixing bowl.

Fill each shell with about 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture. Top with 1/2 teaspoon cranberry sauce.

Bake for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 15 individual servings.

/tricia

:)

Nice looking rhubarb pudding cake!