Hummus

Lets get something straight… this is not Hummus, this is Hummus (sounds like chu-moose).

Next thing we want to remember… Read and Follow the directions!  I learned the hard way.  Let me explain…

I love hummus.  Always have, always will.  The hummus in the United States is much different than the hummus you get in Israel.  I have attempted several times to replicate the amazingness that is Israeli hummus, and have come fairly close… but it is never quite as rich, creamy, fluffy, and amazing.  I asked friends, read some recipes, and finally decided it was time to peel the skins from each garbanzo bean, which would reduce the mealy texture of most American hummus (I almost think the plural form of hummus should be hummuses).

After googling some recipes to see if I could find some technique tips, I decided to pick a fairly average recipe and just go with it.  I soaked the dried garbanzos for 24 hours, ignored the baking soda step (why would I need baking soda?), boiled the garbanzos and started peeling.  Well, the peeling wasn’t as easy as I had thought.  I imagine shucking peas from a pod, but this was taking way too much time.  I put the garbanzo beans in a microwave safe bowl, splashed them in water, and zapped them in the microwave for 60 seconds.  Things got a little easier, but it was still a labor intensive project.  Nonetheless, I turned on the tube to catch up on Boardwalk Empire, and take the skins off some garbanzo beans.  Before I knew it, three hours had passed and it was thirty minutes passed midnight.  I finally finished removing the skins from each individual garbanzo bean, added some tahini, lemon juice, zataar and salt, and BOOM!  I had done it, and boy was it worth the work!

I went straight to bed feeling the satisfaction of eating great hummus, just like I had just returned from Shuk HaCarmel in Tel Aviv for 13 shek hummus.  The next day I brought in the hummus for lunch, and it was practically coming out of my ears by the afternoon.  It was good, but I was still perplexed on the time.  So I went back to google, and put in a different entry this time: “easy ways to peel garbanzo beans”.  I clicked enter, and there it was glaring at me… “baking soda”.  My jaw dropped to the floor!  I should have followed directions!  I clicked on a youtube video (what is even more embarrassing is I own the cookbook referenced in the video) that had popped up, and quickly learned about how the baking soda forms an alkaline solution with the pectin in the bean’s skin and blah blah blah.  I was dumbfounded!  Needless to say, I learned my lesson… stick to the recipe, and don’t wait three hours to google it!

Ingredients

3 cups dry garbanzo beans, soaked overnight fully submerged in water
1/2-1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup tahini
2-3 lemons
1 large clove garlic
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp zataar

Garnish
Garbanzo beans, olive oil, tahini, zataar, pickles, onions and hard boiled egg

Preparation

1) Rinse the garbanzo beans and place in a pot.  Fill with enough water to cover at least 1 inch.  Add baking soda.  Bring to a boil and then simmer over medium hear until the beans are very soft, 1-2 hours.

2) Drain the beans from hot water, and place in cold water bath.  Agitate the beans rigorously, and replace water to maintain a colder temperature.  The skins will gradually fall off, and they should separate easily.  If not, manually remove skins.

3) Put the beans into a food processor, saving some whole beans for garnish.  Add the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.  Add more olive oil or water to make thinner, add more tahini to make richer, and season to taste.

4) Put hummus in a bowl, and garnish with desired ingredients.

5) Serve with warm/toasted pita, and/or julienne vegetables.

5) Enjoy!

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P.S. Sorry for not posting in a while!  I have been rather busy, doing some traveling, and have not had much time to cook.

P.P.S.  On that note, I will likely be cooking tomorrow (10/8) or Thursday (10/9)… message me if you want to be a guinea pig!  We will have having cracked pepper gnocchi, with a brown-butter sage sauce, with some prosciutto and truffled pecorino!  Space will be limited, so get at me!

Chilean Sea Bass with Heirloom Succotash and Nectarine Puree

Chilean Sea Bass with Heirloom Succotash and Nectarine Puree

The swampy thick air of D.C. is starting to subside.  Soon the leaves will change colors, the air will turn crisp and before we know it we’ll be bundled up eating our harvest squashes and wintry soups.  We will trade our shorts for sweaters, and flip flops for wool socks.  We will say goodbye to summer, and welcome the fall.

In a final attempt to harness the easy going summer vibes, I ventured down to the Dupont farmers market to pick up some seasonal flavors before they disappear.  I was drawn, as I always am, to the white nectarines.  They have always been my favorite, over the peaches and over the yellows.  I sampled one… it was delicious.  I then bought some sweetcorn before it goes bland, some dragon beans and a cuccuzza.  To be honest, I had no idea what a cucuzza was!  They had samples out and it tasted like a squash, so I figured why not give it a go.

Now that I had all these great fresh ingredients, I had absolutely zero idea what to do.  A small voice inside me was saying “make a succotash”, and that would make most sense with the ingredients I had.  I wanted some sort of puree to plate with that had its own flavor profile, so I decided I would use the white nectarines for that, add one Serrano chili, and green onions to give it some great color.  All I needed was a protein.  So I jumped on my bike, and headed to Whole Foods.  The Chilean sea bass looked the best, and it also smelt fresh.  I had the fish monger wrap up one piece (that stuff is pricey, so I only bought one piece and made this dish an appetizer).

I was all set!  I headed to the kitchen and started prep.  I put on some tunes, thanks to my buddy Toby’s  music blog Ruckus Rhythms (http://www.ruckusrhythms.com/).  There was one song on their September Playlust that was well suited for the dish and occasion, Goodbye Summer by Misun. https://soundcloud.com/misun/misun-goodbye-summer Give it a listen!

Ingredients

2 white nectarines
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup green onions
1-2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 Serrano chili
2 cups chopped cucuzza
2 cups fresh corn
1 cup dragon beans
1 cup sweet onion
1 tsp paprika
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1-4 filets Chilean sea bass
(1 filet for appetizer, 1 filet per person for entree)

(Note: In classic Spencer fashion, I clumsily dropped the edamame on the floor, hence why it is not in the ingredients list.)

Preparation

1) To prepare the puree, saute finely chopped green onions in butter and thyme, and add to food processor (be sure to pick out thyme stems). Char Serrano chili over open flame until the skin is black.  Let cool, and remove the skin and add to food processor.  Remove skin from nectarines, and take out the pit.  Add to food processor, blend, and add salt to flavor.

2) Remove dragon beans from pods, and boil in salted water for 6 minutes.  Remove beans from boiling water and place in ice bath (this will help preserve the colors of the beans, and prevent the beans from cooking further).  Char corn over open flame, and cut kernels from the cob.

3) In a medium oiled sauce pan, saute onions and cuccuzza on medium-high heat.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, and add corn and beans.  Add white wine vinegar and paprika, and reduce heat to medium to medium-low.  Cook for 5ish minutes, and season to flavor.

4) In a room temperature oiled pan, place the fish skin side down.  Place on stove on high heat.  Cook for 4-5 minutes, and try to work spatula under the skin.  Once the skin is fairly crispy, flip for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

5) Plate and enjoy!

Old Bay Mussels with Granny Parsley Purée

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Old Bay Mussels with Granny Parsley Purée 

I must be honest.  It was hot, and muggy… and I may have had a beer or two at Dacha Beer Garden.  Thanks to my friend Anne working at the bar, I may have had one or two more then I had planned.  Not sure if it was the heat or the beer, but my hunger hit and I wanted to try something funky.  I asked for the tab, mounted my single-speed bike and peddled to the Whole Foods on P street on the way home. I didn’t want to spend too much money, but wanted something summery, light, and refreshing.

I was greeted at Whole Foods by the usual fresh fruits and vegetables.  I closely examined the veggies, looking for inspiration.  Soon I had a leek in my hand.  I had never cooked with a leek, so why the hell not.  I grabbed a bunch of parsley and walked towards the proteins.  Before I could walk five steps, this beautiful granny smith apple was calling my name.  I grabbed it without thinking, but looking back it was the best decision I made.  I made my way to the proteins, and wanted to keep it cheap.  Easy, I will get mussels.

Mussels were discovered out of desperation.  Nearly 900 years ago, a man (stories suggest a Frenchman and a Scotman, so I will let you choose whether the Scots or French discovered these guys) was shipwrecked and desperate for food.  He put a pole and a makeshift net into the water to attempt to catch some fish.  When he pulled the poles up the next day, he found these barnacles and mussels attached.

Ingredients

1 Leek
1 Granny Smith Apple
1 bunch Parsley
1/2 lemon
1 cup greek yogurt
2 lb mussels
1/4 cup old bay
1 light beer

Preparation:

1) Remove outer layer of leek, and clean thoroughly.  Dice leek and sauté in olive oil.  Spice with salt and pepper, and and red chili flakes if you like a little heat.

2) Peel granny smith apple, cut into small pieces, and remove the core.  Add to sauté pan with leek, cook until apple pieces are soft and leek is starting to brown.

3) Transfer contents of sauté pan to food processor.  Add greek yogurt, parsley, and juice of 1/2 lemon.

4) In a medium sauté pan, bring half of the beer to a boil, and enjoy the other half.  Add old bay and mussels. Cover pan, and steam until mussels open.

5) Plate your dish and enjoy!

Chicken Liver Pâté with a Port Tarragon Aspic

Chicken Liver Pâté with a Port Tarragon Aspic 

Who doesn’t like chicken liver pâté ?  Well, a lot of people.  But it is because they haven’t tried it.  Most people cringe at the sound of eating livers, yet they consider themselves super adventurous for trying the foie gras torchon at their local farm-to-table restaurant.  Well, guess what… foie gras is liver.  So there.

This recipe originated from my father’s rolodex.  He used to prepare it as an appetizer for fancy shmancy occasions.  I remember eating this as a young kid, and being perplexed by the richness and the smooth texture.  It was a delight!  It is something that I would completely forget about, but crave nearly a decade later, and still crave regularly today.  The best part about it is it is not too expensive!  Joke is on you for spending so much at your local restaurant for it!  It is not too hard to make, just takes a bit of time and patience.

Ingredients

Port Aspic:

2 tsp Unflavored Gelatin
1 cup Port
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tbso Water
3tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Fresh chopped Tarragon

Chicken Liver Pâté:

1 lb chicken livers
1 cup whole milk
½ cup cognac
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup chopped shallots
1 Green tart apple, peeled, cored and sliced
¼ cup sherry
¼ cup whipping cream
1 ¼ tsp salt
Juice from half a lemon

Preperation:

1) Combine livers, milk and cognac in medium bowl and soak for 1 hour.

Aspic:

2)Generously butter an 8”x4” loaf pan, coat and set adie.  Dissolve gelatin in small bowl with ¼ cup port.

3)Combine sugar and water in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirrung until dissolved.  Cook until mixture is fark caramel color, about 8-10 minutes.  Whisk in vinegar, remaining port and tarragon.  Reduce heat and simmer about two minutes.  Add gelatin, stirring until dissolved.  Strain aspic through cheesecloth or coffee filter into prepared loaf pan.  Chill to set.

Pâté:

4) Melt half butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until cooked through with a slight brown.  Add apple and cook until softened.  Transfer mixture to food processor and blend.

5) Drain and add livers to skillet on medium high heat.  Sauté until just pink, about 10-12 minutes.  Add to food processor and blend with shallot/apple.

6) Reduce skillet to medium heat and add sherry to skillet.  Stir in all the leftover bits clinging to the pan.  Add sherry and ¼ cup cream to liver mixutre.  Puree until smooth. Let stand until lukewarm.

7) Take remaining room temperature butter and whip in a bowl until creamy.  Gradually add remaining butter into food processor.  (I do not use as much butter here as the recipe calls for.  I usually add a tbsp or two and call it a day.)

8) Mix in salt and lemon juice, and spice to flavor.

9) Pour chicken liver puree on top of the set aspic.  Let sit overnight in the fridge.

10) To remove patte from pan, run a warm knife around the edges, and invert pan onto a plate.  If the pâté does not come out, submerge pan in warm water for a few seconds and try again.  Do not leave the pan submerged in the water for too long as that will melt the aspic.  Garnis with fresh tarragon leaf.

11) Enjoy on a fresh baguette, crackers, a fork, spoon, etc.

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Did you make too much, and don’t know what to do with it?

Try sautéing garlic in a medium sauce pan.  Add two-3 heaping spoonfuls of the pâté to the hot pan, and allow the pâté to melt a little.  Add 3 cups of freshly cooked penne pasta.  Add freshly chopped basil, and halved cherry tomatoes.  Mix thoroughly.  Top with fresh Parmesan and toasted pine nuts.