Home made hummus.
I love baking sweet things. I have a sweet tooth and a lot of my baking is spontaneous when I get a hankering for something sweet or chocolaty or nutty... Savoury cooking doesn't excite me in quite the same way but I still get a lot of satisfaction from creating something from scratch.
Quite a few of my friends here in Australia are excellent cooks. We get together on a Friday afternoon at a local tennis court and the kids have a big group lesson while the parents stand around chatting and catching up. Everyone brings a plate of food and a bottle of bubby or a couple of beers to share. It is a great way to de-stress and unwind from a busy week.
Some people bring a bag of savoury potato chips as their contribution. Some people bring a plate with cheese and biscuits. Some bring a tray of hot savoury wedges or spring rolls that went straight from the supermarket freezer to the oven to a plate. Not exactly rocket science. Some people who shall not be named, Maree, Claire and Jane (ooops, did that come out loud?!) bring along the most amazing platters of foods that have been whizzed up from scratch in their kitchens over the previous couple of hours. I'm talking home made maharajah chutney, South African fish pies, fresh trout, chive and olive tapinades....
Do you feel inadequate yet? So it's not just me? Great! These gracious friend whohave just been shall not be named are very good at sharing their recipes and I have learnt so much from them. Like home-made hummus. I thought hummus grew on a tree in a plastic tub and was then plucked fresh from the branch and sold in the refridgerated section of the supermarket. There were a variety of these tress I believed. Your native hummus tree was the most popular but there were also sun dried tomato versions, garlic and lemon juice ones and sometimes chilli varieties too. Imagine my surprise when my wonderful friends enlightened me by explaining that hummus was made from chick peas. They explained where to source the best organic dried chick peas, how to soak and boil them overnight and what proportions of tahini, garlic and lemon juice to mix the chick peas with. Tahini? I thought that was an island somewhere?
And so dear blogger friends. If you too thought that hummus grew on trees I, Gina, would like to share with you the secret of homemade perfection that takes 3 minutes from start to finish.
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Firstly, buy chick peas in a tin, pre soaked and ready to blend (Don't tell my friends I cheat at this bit!) Drain them and throw them in a bowl with 1/3 cup of lemon juice, 1/3 cup of Tahini (crushed sesame seeds for those of you who are still looking up Google Earth) and whatever flavouring you fancy. In my case two or three small segments of garlic and a pinch of salt. Whizz with a blender stick for about 2 minutes and add a little water if the mixture seems a little thick and sticky. There you have it my dear friends. The answer to inclusion in the culinary accomplished gang.
A few carrot sticks and a glass of bubbly and bobs your uncle!
Happy Friday!
Cheers!
Quite a few of my friends here in Australia are excellent cooks. We get together on a Friday afternoon at a local tennis court and the kids have a big group lesson while the parents stand around chatting and catching up. Everyone brings a plate of food and a bottle of bubby or a couple of beers to share. It is a great way to de-stress and unwind from a busy week.
Some people bring a bag of savoury potato chips as their contribution. Some people bring a plate with cheese and biscuits. Some bring a tray of hot savoury wedges or spring rolls that went straight from the supermarket freezer to the oven to a plate. Not exactly rocket science. Some people who shall not be named, Maree, Claire and Jane (ooops, did that come out loud?!) bring along the most amazing platters of foods that have been whizzed up from scratch in their kitchens over the previous couple of hours. I'm talking home made maharajah chutney, South African fish pies, fresh trout, chive and olive tapinades....
Do you feel inadequate yet? So it's not just me? Great! These gracious friend who
And so dear blogger friends. If you too thought that hummus grew on trees I, Gina, would like to share with you the secret of homemade perfection that takes 3 minutes from start to finish.
.JPG)
Firstly, buy chick peas in a tin, pre soaked and ready to blend (Don't tell my friends I cheat at this bit!) Drain them and throw them in a bowl with 1/3 cup of lemon juice, 1/3 cup of Tahini (crushed sesame seeds for those of you who are still looking up Google Earth) and whatever flavouring you fancy. In my case two or three small segments of garlic and a pinch of salt. Whizz with a blender stick for about 2 minutes and add a little water if the mixture seems a little thick and sticky. There you have it my dear friends. The answer to inclusion in the culinary accomplished gang.
A few carrot sticks and a glass of bubbly and bobs your uncle!
Happy Friday!
Cheers!
There's no hummus tree?!? Nooooo....!
I love hummus, but have never thought to make my own. I'm going to have to try this soon!
Crazey. I made this 2 wks ago for the first time. I wrongly judged the garlic and put in far too much, we couldn't eat more than 2 bites!! I will be trying your measured ingredients for my second try. Thank you.
Redeeming post.
I LOVE hummus! Especially with lightly toasted whole wheat pita bread cut in little triangles. I will have to give this a go.