Home-made Hoummus.

[longers]

*shrugs*

B)

Thanks for the extra info on the difference between the blades.

 

[ColinJ]

After a holiday in Corfu, I developed a liking for Tzatziki too!

There's a recipe here.

 

[Pete]

Anyone want to try another spread/dip/paté type thing, also with a mediterranean theme, try this. Slightly adapted from a Cranks recipe, quite simple, easier to make than hoummous. In fact I've made some just now.

100g dried cannelini beans, soaked then cooked till very soft.
50g sundried tomatoes, soaked then drained, squeeze out the surplus water.
50g (after stoning) kalamata olives.
olive oil (yes, go on, go for Extra Virgin, everyone else does...)
few basil leaves
pepper.

Stone and chop up the olives, chop up the sundried tomatoes. Put the cooked and drained beans in the food processor with a good slurp of olive oil, enough to make the paste fairly moist, and the basil and pepper. Spin the processor until you get a smooth paste. Mix with the tomatoes and olives. Do not add salt, or if you must, add very sparingly - there will be enough salt left over in the tomatoes. Enjoy!

 

[Abitrary]

The only time I've been accused of being insane is after someone tasted my attempt at houmous

 

[Dave5N]

The only time I've been accused of being insane is after someone tasted my attempt at houmous

That's absolutely shocking.


I'd have thought it would happen to you frequently.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

try it on top of vanilla ice cream. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

For a minute there I thought you were talking about hommous.

 

[Abitrary]

The best houmous is usually made with liberal amounts of very good quality olive oil.

If there is one single use for good olive oil, it is houmous.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Thanks for the extra info on the difference between the blades.

A blender is a high shear device and is primarily aimed at liquids, whereas a Food processor is a man in a white coat, boots, hat and hairnet....

Sorry...
A Kitchen Food processor is a cutting device operating at lower rpm and lower shear rates. Generally you have more control with a food processor when reducing the particle size of food pieces, thus ideal for hummous type applications. Today however I have been making Carrot and Coriander soup with a food processor...a blender would have been far more effective...

 

[Dave5N]

A blender is a high shear device and is primarily aimed at liquids, whereas a Food processor is a man in a white coat, boots, hat and hairnet....

"I bet that you look good on the dance floor..."

 

[Arch]

I only have a blender, not a food processor, and I rarely use it because it's a faff to wash up. I assume I could make chunkier houmous with a masher of some sort?

I buy it, but I find it's a touch too tahini-y for my taste. So I'd like to make it with no, or little tahini. Would be good to have a non-tahini recipe for my Mum too, she's mildly allergic to sesame, but always looking for recipes to use up chickpeas, as one tin lasts her for about 3 meals...

Made my own pizza yesterday (ok, it was a pizza base mix). Mmmm.

 

[barq]

I buy the 2KG sacks of dried chickpeas and cook them up in huge batches. If you lay them out to cool/dry you can freeze them and use them for other cooking. I think it is a testament to them being nicer than the canned type that I find myself snacking of freshly cooked chickpeas.

Of course if you replace the chick peas with other ingredients you get a whole load of other fantastic middle eastern dips and sauces. Roasted aubergines, for example... or other kinds of roasted vegetables or pulses.

Isn't there something known as poor man's caviar which is made from Aubergine? You slow roast them and after a couple of hours scoop out the middles. I think I made it about seven years ago and ruined some ovenware by carbonising the aubergine skin.

I always find a spoonful of harissa

That's amazing stuff. I followed the recipe in The Cranks Bible which called for something silly like 200g of dried chilli to make a tiny pot of paste. I have several mates who all fancy themselves as being able to handle some serious chilli, but this stuff redefines hot.

 

[punkypossum]

My houmous is ace - probably one of the few things in the kitchen I'm good at. I use tinned chick peas and actually prefer them, only the ones from my little Indian miracle shop though, the others taste to dusty... I use less tahini, but more garlic and lemon juice than recommended - and has to have paprika in it! Everytime I get invited to a meal or party I get told to bring a tub, but hey, at least it makes life easier, no having to think about what to bring!

 

[Arch]

Isn't there something known as poor man's caviar which is made from Aubergine? You slow roast them and after a couple of hours scoop out the middles. I think I made it about seven years ago and ruined some ovenware by carbonising the aubergine skin.

Baba-ghanoush?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_ghanoush

Although I dunno if that's poor mans caviare, you don't mean taramasalata?

I saw a comedy sketch once in which a chap was trying to explain to his deaf old granny (she didn't exist, you only heard and saw his half of the conversation) about them being in a vegetarian restaurant, and what the dishes were. His rendition of ta-ra-ma-sa-la-ta in a very loud and careful voice was hilarious.... Especially when he stopped half way through to remember which syllable he was on...

(although I guess taramasalata isn't really vegetarian)

 

[Pete]

I only have a blender, not a food processor, and I rarely use it because it's a faff to wash up. I assume I could make chunkier houmous with a masher of some sort?

Give the chickpeas a really long long soak before cooking, at least 24 hours. And cook them until they're really soft - you can easily crush one with gently pressure between finger and thumb. Then - yes, try the masher, epsecially if you have plenty of elbow-grease up your sleeve...

I buy it, but I find it's a touch too tahini-y for my taste. So I'd like to make it with no, or little tahini. Would be good to have a non-tahini recipe for my Mum too, she's mildly allergic to sesame, but always looking for recipes to use up chickpeas, as one tin lasts her for about 3 meals...

Don't know about a version without tahini, but if you've been resorting to the typical supermarket's 'apology' for hoummous, the sort that comes in a little plastic tub in a cardboard sleeve, I mean - well, you can improve on that! Get thee hence to the nearest Asian or Afro-Asian grocer, look on their shelves for the various brands of tinned hoummous. You'll have to try out a few brands, but you may find something more to your taste.

 

[Arch]

Don't know about a version without tahini, but if you've been resorting to the typical supermarket's 'apology' for hoummous, the sort that comes in a little plastic tub in a cardboard sleeve, I mean - well, you can improve on that! Get thee hence to the nearest Asian or Afro-Asian grocer, look on their shelves for the various brands of tinned hoummous. You'll have to try out a few brands, but you may find something more to your taste.

That's probably in Bradford!

Yeah, I'll admit to buying the supermarket stuff. Maybe I;l lhave a go at making my own, I bought a tin of chickpeas last week, after having this conversation with another friend.

I'm afraid I'm fairly unlikely to get round to any recipe that starts "soak chickpeas for 24 hours..."