I'm looking for a good, easy hummus recipe for my personal enjoyment.
And I've got the fourth potluck this month on Tuesday and I've gone through my repretiore of casseroles- any suggestions for yummy main dish casseroles?
Posted by Jaiden (Member # 2099) on :
Hummus
2 c chick peas, soaked and cooked or canned, drained and rinsed 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 T lemon juice ¼ c water 3 T tahini (sesame paste) ½ to 1 t cumin ½ t paprika
Place the cooked chick peas (it's ok if they're still warm) in the food processor along with the garlic, lemon juice, and water. Process for about a minute, until smooth. If too thick, add more water.
Stir in the tahini and spices, taste, and add more lemon juice/tahini/cumin/paprika as appropriate.
Spread the hummus into a shallow bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with lemon slices and minced parsley.
Serve chilled, with warm pita bread and/or fresh vegetables.
Posted by Jaiden (Member # 2099) on :
Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
3 cups cooked, chopped chicken breasts 1 package quick cooking wild rice, cooked according to package directions 1 package frozen French green beans, thawed and drained 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup chopped onion 3 tablespoons flour 1 cup chicken stock 1/2 cup cream or milk 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1/4 cup slivered almonds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a buttered casserole dish. Combine chicken, cooked rice and green beans. In a saucepan melt butter over medium high heat. Stir in onions and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Whisk in cream or milk and return to a simmer. When sauce has thickened pour over mixture in casserole dish. Sprinkle with parmesan and almonds and bake for 30 minutes
4 Cheese Stuffed Shells
Salt 8 pieces jumbo pasta shells 1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese or part skim ricotta cheese 1 pound mozzarella, diced 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 cup shredded Asiago 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes Salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 or 7 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded
Preheat oven or broiler to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water and add pasta. Cook shells 12 to 15 minutes, they should be softened but still undercooked at the center. Drain pasta and cool.
Combine ricotta, 1/2 of the diced mozzarella, a couple of handfuls of Parmigiano and 1/2 of the Asiago. Add parsley to the cheeses and stir to combine.
To a small saucepot over moderate heat add oil, garlic and onions. Saute onions and garlic 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper. Simmer sauce 5 minutes and stir in basil leaves
Pour a little sauce into the bottom of a shallow medium sized casserole dish. Fill shells with rounded spoonfuls of cheese mixture and arrange them seam side down in casserole dish. Top shells with remaining sauce and remaining mozzarella and Asiago cheeses. Place shells in very hot oven or 8 inches from hot broiler and cook 6 to 8 minutes to melt cheeses and bubble sauce.
Posted by Jaiden (Member # 2099) on :
Luxurious Turkey Tetrazzini
6 tablespoons butter 1/2 pound mushrooms thinly sliced 1 tablespoon Madeira 4 tablespoons flour 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 to 3 cups leftover cooked turkey, cut into 3/4-inch dice 1/2 pound linguine cooked to al dente stage 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese mixed with 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet. When the foaming subsides, add the mushrooms and saute, over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the mushrooms have absorbed the butter and are tender. Stir in the Madeira and evaporate over high heat. In another saucepan heat 3 tablespoons of butter. When foaming subsides, stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook, over low heat, for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove sauce from heat and stir in the cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in the mushrooms and turkey.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Layer half of pasta, half of mushroom and turkey mixture and repeat with pasta and turkey mushroom mix. Scatter Parmesan and bread crumbs over the top and dot with remaining tablespoon of butter. Heat for 45 minutes or until heated through, sauce is bubbling and top is browning. If you wish, slide casserole under the broiler for a moment to brown the top.
Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
The casseroles sound great!
Where do you buy tahini?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
In the grocery, Coccinelle. It's in the middle eastern section. It comes in jars. However, I buy canned hummus and mix it with a couple of tsp. extra tahini and a squirt or two of lemon juice, and sometimes some roasted garlic. Much easier, and with the same wonderful taste.
[ December 12, 2004, 05:49 PM: Message edited by: ketchupqueen ]
Posted by Jaiden (Member # 2099) on :
Some grocery stores and health food stores carry it but Middle Eastern specialty stores do for sure Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
The neighborhood grocery stores don't have a middle-eastern section (i've looked) there isn't prepared hummus (like I used to buy) and they don't even have the boxed stuff.
The only store that I know that sells it is a 40 minute drive. Do they sell it in health food stores?
Edit: thanks Jaiden!
[ December 12, 2004, 05:52 PM: Message edited by: Coccinelle ]
Posted by Jaiden (Member # 2099) on :
No problem
[ December 12, 2004, 05:53 PM: Message edited by: Jaiden ]
Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
Looks like I have an excuse to go shopping in Dallas this week Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
If I'd known you wanted it, I would have brought you some yesterday-- it's less than 60 cents a can, and less than $1 for a jar of tahini, at the store half a mile down the street from us. Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
What is the name of the store? I'm going out with a friend for sushi over there on wednesday
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Fiesta-- those prices were good this week, may change on Wed., but won't be significantly higher. It's probably even cheaper at the Indian grocery over by where we used to live.
Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
ohh... there's a Fiesta close to work. I'll try there tomorrow (save me some driving!)
Thanks KQ!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
You're welcome. Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
I think I once saw Tahini next to the peanut butter in a grocery store. I also think pb might suffice as a substitute.
White Lasagna (my uncle's modified recipe from Italy):
White sauce : 2 tbs butter handful or two of flour 2 c. evaporated milk 2 c. cream (I didn't say it was healthy)
melt butter in a saucepan and add flour, stirring with a wisk until they're blended. Add the evaporated milk and simmer until it gets thick (if it's looking too thin take some more flour, cut it into some more butter, and drop it in until it gets thicker) then add the cream and simmer some more until it gets thick. Stirring is VERY IMPORTANT up until you put the cream in.
also important to know that the flour/butter cooking is NOT a roux. You only cook it enough so that the flour is not raw. In a roux, you cook it until the flour turns brown. Which is tasty, but not white sauce.
Lasagna:
White sauce 2 lbs hamburger 1 c. beef broth bacon or ham or proscutto, maybe 1/2 a pound mozzerella and parmesean cheese, grated together 2 tbs. parsley leaves 9 lasagna noodles small amount of tomato sauce
Brown the hamburger and add parsley leaves. Add beef broth to deglaze the pan and reduce. Cut the bacon into small pieces and add them to the white sauce. Put a tiny bit of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan before adding the noodles. Layer the white sauce over them, add a few spoonfulls of tomato sauce (for a marble effect), add the hamburger and lots of cheese, and repeat for all the layers of the lasagna. Bake at...I dunno, 350? 400?...until the cheese melts.
I'm not a huge fan of lasagna, but I LOVE this. It makes awesome leftovers too.
[ December 12, 2004, 06:22 PM: Message edited by: sarcasticmuppet ]
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
Yeah, white lasagna is really good stuff. I like spinach-mushroom white lasagna in particular.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
About the hummus. Honestly, I love garlic way way way more than Jaiden because 3 cloves isn't even a beginning for me. For that amount of hummus, I'd use anywhere between half a head to a full head, depending on who I'm eating it with. But 3 cloves? That's sacrilege! Posted by Jaiden (Member # 2099) on :
*grins*
Actually I agree. But a lot of people don't like it so I was always taught with garlic to list the more "accepted" quantity and assume the person will adjust the garlic to their own taste Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Oh heck, forget that! I list my recipes the way I like them on the assumption that people who don't like things the way I do can adjust down.
I'm the same way with spicy. Most people can handle only one green chili, maybe? I add five or ten. Guess what? I list five or ten.
True, true, I provide disclaimers for spice wusses. . . But why should I pander to their wussy tastebuds? Hah! Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
With the chick peas in the hummus- do you leave on the skin, or do you pop it off?
I have a friend who skins them all and I'm just wondering if that's normal, or just her
I want to try all these recipes! The white lasagna looks especially tempting, but I have everything for the chicken and wild rice casserole, so I think I'll make that for tues.
edit: I knew that I spelled something wrong..
[ December 12, 2004, 11:01 PM: Message edited by: Coccinelle ]
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Do not substitute peanut butter for tahini. No no no.
Yes, skin the garbonzos; it'll be really grainy otherwise. It might be okay if you need the extra fiber and do it in a food processor that works really well, but I wouldn't advise leaving the skins on.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Mmmmmm... hummus.
And no - do NOT use peanut butter for tahini. (were you kidding?)
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Hummus good. I must find ingredients and make it. I haven't had it since leaving Canada, and this thread is making me crave it! Evil evil Coccinelle for starting this!
Mmmm. Hummus. Since we can't get pita here - and I don't know how to make it - I'll just have to have it with some of my most excellent homemade naan. Yummmm!!!!! Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Check recipezaar for recipes for pita (and excellent foods to go with it). I bet there's at least one on there.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
I'm pretty sure Alton Brown listed peanut butter as a probable substitute for tahini. Don't hurt me!
But I DID once see it in a grocery store next to peanut butter.
Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
I made the hummus tonight. Quidscribis- I hope you get some to fulfil your craving
Homemade is so much yummier than anything I've ever bought. I used roasted garlic (lots of it as suggested!) and ate it on homemade whole wheat tortillas (since I forgot to buy pita)
Thanks for the recipes!
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
I tried to spice mine up with chili peppers -- yikes, too much! A little goes a LONG way. And d'oh, I didn't think you should add water, so I kept adding tahini thinking it would get smooth. Needless to say, we had some very strong flavored hummus.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Chickpeas are very easily found here. Tahini, not so sure.
Anyone have a great recipe for hummus without the tahini? It won't be quite the same without it . . .
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
You can get sesame seeds, right? I haven't tried it, but you might be able to grind them in a food processor to make your tahini.
I generally put in 6-8 large cloves of garlic for that amount of chickpeas, but I sautee half of them in olive oil (which is the only significant difference between my recipe and Jaiden's, aside from the spices[1]). That way you get the rich flavor of roasted garlic without losing the fresh sharpness of the raw stuff. My recipe generally gets rave reviews (just ask Suneun). I know I've posted it here at some point.
[1] I leave out the paprika and cumin, but I've been putting in freshly ground white pepper, which adds a little bit of umami. Oh, and I use the chickpea cooking water (or can water) instead of fresh water. Keeps more of the flavor.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quidscribis, send me your address. I'll try to send you some tahini (if I can find some in a plastic jar that won't break) when I send you chocolate after Christmas. It's shelf-stable, and keeps almost forever in the fridge after you open it.
[ December 14, 2004, 10:42 AM: Message edited by: ketchupqueen ]
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Mike, I also sautée the garlic in the olive oil first. And instead of the paprika, I use cayenne pepper, or alternately sautée diced chiles de árbol with the oil as well.
Also, I don't have a food processor, so what I do is to cook the chick peas in their own juice (I buy them canned) until the juice is almost boiled out. Then, I mash them with a potato masher. Not quite as smooth as it should be, but it works. Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Jaiden, that's the same recipe I use. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
ketchupqueen, you are so seriously the coolest. Am I losing my memory? Did you already tell me you were sending me chocolate already? I don't remember it, and it would have been a surprise. But no, I am definitely NOT saying no. You - and anyone else around here, for that matter - can send me chocolate any time you like.
Thanks. Is your email addy in your profile? I'll check it out and email you.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
My e-mail addy isn't visible, but you can e-mail me through my profile, yes.
And I told you in your chocolate thread that I liked that you agreed with my lack of morals, so I'd send you chocolate after Christmas. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
BTW, do you prefer milk or dark chocolate?
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
And I think this is a good time for me to say that the sleeping pill I took is really starting to kick in, which means that I start losing a. intelligence c. coordination and d. flow of thought and f. comprehension and g. consciousness.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
i'm becoming seriously incoherent now with the rolling of the head to one side. so, i'll check it out tomorrow. not capable today. goodnight. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Goodnight. Have a good rest. Just remember to write me before I go out of town next week. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote: the sleeping pill I took is really starting to kick in, which means that I start losing a. intelligence c. coordination and d. flow of thought and f. comprehension and g. consciousness.
I still haven't figured out how "hummus b'tehinah" went from a variant of hummus to just about the only kind anyone makes. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I think it's 'cause it tastes so good. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*shrug* I like hummus without tehina at least as much.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Honestly? Me too. But you gotta love anything that ups the fat content in your food. Posted by Jonathan Howard (Member # 6934) on :
Hummus is supposed to be made out of T'hina.
I just go to the local shop... The good part of the Middle East.
Jonny
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I'm awake again.
Yeah, I'm glad y'all got amusement value from my incoherent state.
Ketchupqueen, I can't email you through the board. I've tried. Do you have your settings to allow someone to email you through it, or set to disallow? You can try emailing me - mine is set to allow.
Oh, and I prefer milk chocolate. Chocolate. Mmmmmmm. You could have a new best friend. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
The "email through the board" thingy hasn't worked properly in ages, I've been told.
And Jonny, while hummus b'tehina is the most common form these days, NOT all hummus has tehina in it.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
quote: Check recipezaar for recipes for pita (and excellent foods to go with it). I bet there's at least one on there.
But ketchup, and now Rivka (Why oh why did you have to make it so easy to connect me to a pita recipe?) that would require actual EFFORT on my part. And I don't know:grumble: that I really feel like it right now. Especially since my naan is so good.
Does following the directions, as simple as they are, really result in pockets? I admit, I'm skeptical on that part. I guess:grumble: *grumble* I'll have to *grumble* give it a try *grumble* someday now *grumble*. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Thanks for letting me know, rivka.
Ketchupqueen, would you email me please at laurie at laurieashton dot com?
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Ketchupqueen, I had to go over to Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate to reread the thread to see what you were talking about. Yep, my memory really is that bad. Okay, I feel brain dead . But seriously, if you find any of those memory transplant chip device thingies, feel free to send me one of those, too. Oh hey, if you want, you can send along one or two of those Konnyaku jelly thingies and I can see what you're talking about.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I have made pita a grand total of three times, I think. It's not that it's so much work -- about the same as making pizza dough from scratch -- it's that there are SO many local suppliers of fresh pita here that it's not worth the effort.
But they really DO form pockets. Great big balloons of hot air they are when you take 'em out. Quite cool. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quidscribis, e-mail sent. Please tell me if you don't get it, as I'm going out of town at 2 am local time on Sunday.
Oh, and I've now made my e-mail visible, as people are saying it doesn't work otherwise.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
ketchupqueen, email replied to. You should have received it by now.
Rivka - thanks for the info. I still think it's pretty incredible that it knows just exactly where to split to make the nice pockets. But now I'm going to have to give it a try. My obsessiveness won't allow me to let it go. @#$@!! you Rivka! What have you started? Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
So*, Jaiden, thanks for your recipe. I recently, as in, an hour ago, took it through its paces.
I found tahini here about a month and a half or so ago - and boy, was I surprised! But the grocery store has been getting in more foreign food lately, so happy day, happy day!
Then I couldn't find chickpeas, or, as they're locally known, gram. I know they exist here - chickpea flour is available everywhere. So*, I just assumed the grocery store was out and kept looking. I found some a couple of weeks ago.
Happy day, happy day!
Now. I asked Fahim if he liked hummus. He said no. I told him I was making it anyway, but I wouldn't force him to eat any. Fine, no problem.
And this is where Jaiden's recipe comes in. I made the following alterations to suit our taste buds.
quote:Originally posted by Jaiden: Hummus
2 c chick peas, soaked and cooked or canned, drained and rinsed 1 head garlic, minced (not enough - next time, I'll make it 1 1/2 or 2 heads of garlic) 1/4 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed (can't get lemons or lemon juice here, but lime is everywhere) 1/4 c water 2 T tahini (sesame paste) (I don't like an obvious taste of tahini, so I cut it down) 2 t cumin 1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder (not the dark brown stuff you guys use for making chile - this stuff is bright red and analogous to powdered red chili peppers)
Fahim's comment? It's good. I gave him a dollop - say, 1/4 cup. He wanted more. I doubled it. He was way happier.
Originally, I only added 2 teaspoons of chili powder, but it wasn't enough for him, which is why it ended up with 1.5 T of the stuff - much better, as far as we're both concerned.
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easy to connect me to a pita recipe?) that would require actual EFFORT on my part. And I don't know:grumble: that I really feel like it right now. Especially since my naan is so good. ![[The Wave]](graemlins/thewave.gif)
Oh hey, if you want, you can send along one or two of those Konnyaku jelly thingies and I can see what you're talking about.