Growing up my family leaned a lot on our heritage for it's food knowledge. Especially for family gatherings. Now my Nana was an avid collector of recipes no matter what their origin. It could be said she collected every recipe she ever came across. She was fearless in the kitchen and it often paid off with delicious favorites. And sometimes not. Being part Bulgarian and I think some Greek somewhere, I was introduced to food that was not only foreign by nature but also foreign because I was a typical American kid. Largely I was unconcerned with food. Except when at my Nana's or when my mom made my favorites.
The point to all of this is simple. Girl meets Hummus = Girl falls HARD for Hummus. I had never had it until I went to a party a lonnnnnnng time ago and it was there. It was AWFUL. Sour and grainy and funky. No falling hard here. I couldn't believe I didn't like it. I couldn't believe it was that awful. So I asked about the dip and discovered it was store bought. At that moment there was a sparkle of hope that Hummus didn't have to be bad. It was currently all the rage and I doubted very much that millions of people could be THAT wrong. So I set out to make my own and try it again. Enter Girl + Hummus Love.
I have several recipes for Hummus but they are all based on one basic recipe. I will show the different variations at the bottom.
Alright lets assemble the team:
2 Cans chickpeas drained. ( I often use dry beans that I soaked overnight and boiled for 2 hrs)
1/2 C of chicken broth or chickpea liquid.
6 TBS lemon juice.
3 TBS Tahini ( don't leave this out)
4-6 cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt
4 TBS really good olive oil. I tend to use more.
2 tsp cumin ( optional)
Place all players in a food processor and blend until smooth. Really smooth. Place in a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with pita bread. Now onto the really fun variations.
Spicy Hummus:
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes.
2 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp of smoked paprika
Basic Hummus recipe.
Add into the prepared hummus and mix until smooth. It should be noted that you can adjust the heat to what you like. Don't forget the drizzle of the olive oil. This is a winner!
Roasted garlic Hummus:
Roast the 4 garlic cloves and then add to the basic Hummus recipe.
I tend to use at least 6 roasted cloves. I just love them.
Greek Olive Hummus.
Basic Hummus Recipe
1C Kalamata olives
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Blend until smooth.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Simple Stroganoff
If your like me you don't have a ton of time to make meals, so simple but flavorful is your destination. Anything to keep from spending money on low quality food that only offers convenience right?
This stroganoff recipe is an adaptation of my mothers stroganoff that she made after coming home from work. She literally walked in the door and changed her clothes only to spend the next 2 hours cooking. I would rather be baking bread or painting so I adapted the recipe to fit my lifestyle. The key to this recipe is the slow cooker. If you don't have one you really should invest. It is the very best invention ever made for the kitchen, next to the Kitchenaid stand mixer and the food processor. ( I miss my mixer , it is a dull ache that is constantly revisited every time I do ANYTHING in the kitchen) So here we go, time to assemble the team of players.
1 6qt slow cooker
2 lb of stewing beef cut up
1 pkg of brown gravy mix or dry beef and onion soup mix.* ( yes its a cheater but hey use the tools you have if they are good.) Caveat at the bottom. For you purists.
1 medium -large sliced onion
4qts water*
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs garlic
1 1lb tub of full fat sour cream , Baby!
3 tbs butter or margarine
2lb cooked elbow noodles. Or other sturdy noodle.
Now to start the game. This is so easy it's shamefull. Add meat, gravy mix, onion, water , salt and pepper and garlic into the pool. Add water. Put the lid on and put on high for 6 hrs. Walk away. Don't stir , Don't taste. Don't even think about it. *tick tock tick tock* Ding!
-6 hours later-
Open the slow cooker and stir in butter and sour cream. Add in noodles and serve not so piping hot. Make sure to turn your cooker to warm because if you continue to leave it on high the sour cream will curdle.
My family loves this recipe and it has become a staple that the kids clamor for. Onto to the purist method.
When I have time I do not use the gravy mix, it has a lot of salt and I prefer to control the salt in my recipes. For the gravy mix substitute I use :
4tbs onion flakes
3-4 Tbs beef bullion granules
2tbs tyme
2tbs sage
salt and pepper to taste.
4qts beef stock ( low salt) instead of water.
It should be noted that I often have to thicken the gravy with a cornstarch slurry (which can be tricky in a slow cooker) before adding the sour cream . I like the way the purist method tastes better however if I am honest, the beef gravy mix just makes my life easier.
give it a try and let me know .
Until next time
Mrs. F.
This stroganoff recipe is an adaptation of my mothers stroganoff that she made after coming home from work. She literally walked in the door and changed her clothes only to spend the next 2 hours cooking. I would rather be baking bread or painting so I adapted the recipe to fit my lifestyle. The key to this recipe is the slow cooker. If you don't have one you really should invest. It is the very best invention ever made for the kitchen, next to the Kitchenaid stand mixer and the food processor. ( I miss my mixer , it is a dull ache that is constantly revisited every time I do ANYTHING in the kitchen) So here we go, time to assemble the team of players.
1 6qt slow cooker
2 lb of stewing beef cut up
1 pkg of brown gravy mix or dry beef and onion soup mix.* ( yes its a cheater but hey use the tools you have if they are good.) Caveat at the bottom. For you purists.
1 medium -large sliced onion
4qts water*
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs garlic
1 1lb tub of full fat sour cream , Baby!
3 tbs butter or margarine
2lb cooked elbow noodles. Or other sturdy noodle.
Now to start the game. This is so easy it's shamefull. Add meat, gravy mix, onion, water , salt and pepper and garlic into the pool. Add water. Put the lid on and put on high for 6 hrs. Walk away. Don't stir , Don't taste. Don't even think about it. *tick tock tick tock* Ding!
-6 hours later-
Open the slow cooker and stir in butter and sour cream. Add in noodles and serve not so piping hot. Make sure to turn your cooker to warm because if you continue to leave it on high the sour cream will curdle.
My family loves this recipe and it has become a staple that the kids clamor for. Onto to the purist method.
When I have time I do not use the gravy mix, it has a lot of salt and I prefer to control the salt in my recipes. For the gravy mix substitute I use :
4tbs onion flakes
3-4 Tbs beef bullion granules
2tbs tyme
2tbs sage
salt and pepper to taste.
4qts beef stock ( low salt) instead of water.
It should be noted that I often have to thicken the gravy with a cornstarch slurry (which can be tricky in a slow cooker) before adding the sour cream . I like the way the purist method tastes better however if I am honest, the beef gravy mix just makes my life easier.
give it a try and let me know .
Until next time
Mrs. F.
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