Vegetables
- Heavenly Humus
- Artichokes
-
Heavenly Humus
1 lb. carrots
4 cloves garlic
1 - 15 oz. can of chick peas
1 large scallion
4 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons sesame tahini (I've messed with using different
things
instead, like a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon
of
dill seed)
1 teaspoon salt
Cook the carrots and garlic until tender,
drain and put with the rest
of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve
with
Pita triangles.
I like it better after it's been cooled
in the fridge, though and
it lasts a few days in the fridge with no problems. It doesn't
hang
around here longer than that, so I don't know how it fares if
left
longer.
I also use an additional can of chick peas
in place of the carrots
and throw in a half cucumber and about a tablespoon of dill seed
for
another flavor. Or more onions and garlic for another. It's very
versatile and you can do a lot of different flavors to suit your
taste.
Jae
- Artichokes
- They seem to be quite available and inexpensive
in the stores right now. I was able to purchase them for 99
cents each and they were large. I used to grow them a few years
ago and it was truly wonderful to be able to go pick them and
eat them so fresh. When selecting them, look for plump, heavy
globes, compact scales (leaves). Small brown spots indicating
frost are acceptable as the
large part of the leaf is not eaten. Allow one artichoke for
each serving. Remove any discolored leaves and the small leaves
at the base of the artichoke. Slice the stem even with the base
of the artichoke. Cutting straight across, slice 1 inch off
the top of the artichoke. Snip off points of the remaining leaves
with scissors and rinse artichoke under cold water. To prevent
leaves from spreading during cooking, you can tie a
string around the artichoke and from top to bottom to hold the
leaves in place. I find that if I choose tightly packed leafed
ones, I have no need to do this. To prevent leaves from discoloring,
you can invert the trimmed and clean artichokes in a bowl containing
one quart of water and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. I don't
bother with this since I only do two artichokes for The Child
and myself. If you were doing several of
them to serve to company, you might wish to do this so the leaves
do not discolor on the first ones before you finish the others
and are ready to cook them.
- Artichokes should be cooked in a large kettle.
A little over a quart of water per artichoke. In other words
for two artichokes, I use a little over two qts of water. Heat
the water along with 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons
lemon juice, 1 large clove of garlic, quartered and I teaspoon
of salt, to boiling. Add artichokes, bring to a boil again,
reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, rotating
occasionally or until leaves pull out easily and bottom is tender
when pierced with a knife. Using tongs, remove artichokes from
the water and place upside down to drain. To serve as a hot first
course, place the artichoke upright on a plate and accompany
it with a small cup of lemon butter or glorified butters (recipes
to follow). To eat artichokes, pluck leaves one at a time, dip
base of leaf into a sauce or lemon butter, turn leaf meaty side
down and draw between the teeth, scraping off the meaty portion.
discard leaf on plate. When all outer leaves have been removed,
a center cone of small light colored leaves covering the fuzzy
center choke will exposed, (unless, of course, the choke has
been removed before serving). Pull or cut off the cone of leaves,
slice off the fuzzy choke with a knife and fork and discard.
Cut the remaining "heart", the prized section, into
bite size pieces and dip into sauce. I will post on how to serve
an artichoke as a chilled first course and some recipes for sauces
and butters as well.
- Jae
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