Says who? Says me.
Today, food writer and cookbook author Monica Bhide featured me and one of my favorite flavors -- sesame (get it?) -- on her Washington Post blog iSpice. Please click over to read her piece and see my recipe for Sesame Flapjacks with tahini-maple syrup, pictured above.
I also wanted to post a sesame recipe just for you, my loyal readers.
Here's what happens at about 6:00 pm in the Rule household.
"I'm hungry."
"And? Get yourself a snack."
"Okay." And then my kids proceed to pour themselves a bowl of cereal the size of Mount Rushmore.
That got annoying, so after a while I started having dippy things on hand, like, for example, I don't know, hummus. And making hummus is really so easy I'm embarrassed for us both if you've never done it. Honestly, how can you even live with yourself? Do you wake up every day and wonder what went wrong?
I mean, do you really want to be the kind of person who has never traveled the world, read the classics, or danced the merengue?
You should be ashamed.
...
Recipe for Toasted Cumin Hummus
Stand by the cumin like a hawk as you warm it up, stirring all the while, or it will turn bitter. And call me crazy, but I find that a pinch of sugar really rounds out the flavors in this garlicky, cuminy, lemony pre-dinner dip. Serve with pita triangles.
Makes 1-1/2 cups
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can chick peas, drained and rinsed under cool water
Scant 1/4 cup tahini
3 tablespoons lemon juice, plus up to 1 additional tablespoon at the end (to taste)
2 medium cloves garlic, rough-chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons water
Pinch sugar
Pita bread, cut into triangles, for serving
In a small, dry skillet over medium heat, toast cumin until warm and very fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula. Remove from heat and immediately transfer to a plate to stop cooking. Do not let the cumin burn.
In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the chick peas, tahini, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, garlic, salt, water, sugar, and 2 teaspoons of the toasted cumin. Puree until smooth. Taste, and then adjust the flavor with additional lemon juice (adding 1 teaspoon at a time) and/or salt to taste.
Scrape into a small serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining toasted cumin. Serve with pita triangles.
