Summer is here, and with it comes an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Temperatures rise during the day, and the desire for food with heat goes along with it. Easy to make, fresh, and with pleasant amount of heat, homemade pico de gallo is just the answer!
Pico de Gallo
8-10 fresh medium-sized tomatoes 1 bunch cilantro / coriander 2 limes 2 jalapeno peppers 1 small white onion or 10-15 green onions pinch salt
Chop up the tomatoes, put into acid-proof bowl with lid. Add the cilantro, plucking the leaves off the stems (takes patience!). Squeeze limes, chop onions fine, and jalapenos. Mix all ingredients; set to mellow at least an hour before serving.
Great with chicken, in burritos, on tacos, in a salad. Vary the heat with the number of jalapenos you use, as well as onion.
There is nothing like an extended amount of work in the kitchen, preparing food from scratch and cleaning up, to make you appreciate modern conveniences (food processors and dishwashers), as well as a sense of pride in feeding one’s family.
I’ve spent the last couple of hours making a number of items from scratch. Everything I made required making pastes out of foodstuffs. For the hummus, I slow-cooked dried chickpeas (garbanzos). These were then ground up in the food processor with garlic, lemon, tahini, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. The tahini meant a light toasting of 4 c. white sesame seeds, and then grinding them into a paste with olive oil – once more in the food processor. Finally, hot green pepper sauce made – yet again! – in the food processor, and combined with cilantro (coriander), garlic, cumin and olive oil. If I had to grind all these things into a paste, using a mortar and pestle, I would be still going at it, and have the muscles of a wrestler!
Toasting Sesame Seeds
Tahini
4 c. white sesame seeds, lightly toasted
2/3 c. olive oil
pinch salt (optional)
Lightly toast the seeds. This may be done in an oven, set at 350 F, or over a medium high heat, in a pan, on the stove top; I did the latter. Be very careful not to over-toast, as there will be a bitter taste in the final product. Stir frequently when doing it on the stove-top or in the oven, and toast until seeds are a light ivory color.
Place seeds in food processor, and drizzle in olive oil, grind until a paste forms.
Add a pinch of salt if desired.
Hummus
Hummus
1 lb. dried chickpeas / garbanzo beans
7-9 c. water
5-7 cloves garlic
3-5 T. lemon juice
2-4 T. parsley
1/4 c. tahini sauce
pinch salt
In slow cooker, place all the beans, and cover with the 7-9 c. water. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8. Remove beans, rinse several times in cool water, agitating to remove the outer skins. Let skins rise to surface of water, and skim off – they look like a flotilla of jellyfish! Drain well.
In food processor, add drained beans, and all the other ingredients; grind until a smooth paste forms.
Hummus can be seasoned with roasted garlic, and toasted pine nuts may be added as well.
Jalapenos (top row) and Serranos (bottom row)
Hot Green Pepper Sauce
This sauce is called zhuk, and is a condiment found in many variations, and with various names, throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and into the Asian subcontinent. You can make it as hot or cool as you want. Chimichurri sauce is similar, but has vinegar and parsley in addition to the cilantro / coriander. You can use whatever hot green peppers you have on hand, and in whatever combination you want. This created a mild sauce with a bit of bite. To make a hotter sauce, you can leave seeds and ribs in the mix.
Chop cilantro. I included stems and leaves. Seed and de-rib hot peppers (be sure to take care not to rub your eyes, wear gloves, and remove seeds and ribs under water). Chop peppers.
Place all ingredients into food processor, grind until it is a liquid in appearance, adding olive oil as necessary. The cilantro and peppers are visible as tiny bits suspended in the oil.
Zhuk
Dinner will be pita slices and vegetables to dip in the hummus. I may thin some tahini into a dressing or as a dip; the zhuk will be set to the side as a hot condiment as a complementary taste.
I’m in a mood for simple food, made from scratch, that is satisfying, will last a few days, and is easy to do. Specifically, hummus! There are some really great store brands available, but now and again, just getting in touch with the process of making it adds to the experience.
Where I live, we are fortunate to have access to some stores with a wide variety of foods and culinary focal points, such as Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Asian. We also have local farmers’ markets and organic food delivery services, whether through co-ops or Whole Foods. And, of course, we have chain stores, such as Vons, or Trader Joe’s.
As we are heading out to different neighborhoods nearby and in the Valley (as in San Fernando, as in Valley Girl Land) for beer-making supplies, we will also pick up some goodies to make homemade hummus. And, while wandering around the net in search of hummus recipes, I came across this totally delightful video about chick peas – more well-known locally as garbanzo beans.
With a loud, resounding whooosh! our water heater exploded last night. The ceiling in the garage was the main target of spouting water, and the floors and walls and all enjoyed a good bath. Plans to replace it this morning had been made earlier this week . . . but I have dirty dishes, dirty clothes, and now, dirty toilets. Ugh! Luckily, there is a 500 gallon spa in the back yard to provide potty water for flushing the more noxious matter, and even a grocery store for bottled water if we run out of what we have. Modern conveniences are sorely underrated until you need to use them. Sewage systems and toilets and running water are not modern. According to various web sources . . .
King Minos of Crete had a water closet in 2800 BCE
Toilets were discovered in China dating to 200 BCE
Skara Brae, in Scotland, during 3100 BCE had a water movement system using a nearby river to remove waste from their domiciles
The Romans had aqueducts to bring water into cities, public baths, and other amenities
Queen Elizabeth I had a flush toilet in 1596
Chamber pots were used in the middle ages and emptied into the street below
Open sewers still run through many cities in the modern world
So, while I wait for Uncle Ed to arrive, and wander out to the spa for a bucket or two of water, I will leave you the video below to enjoy.
Well, the water heater is dying, so it is getting replaced on Saturday by Josh and his uncle. Fun stuff, eh? Meanwhile, a hose is running from the drain pan to the garden to keep the garage from getting soaked. It’s all because of an ever-increasing leak. At least we still have hot water.
But that is boring news. I’ve been doing a bit of knitting, finishing up a shawl, starting a new one, with sock yarn and a lot of stitches. Ugh, not sure if that is what I want.
And I have also been enjoying some flowers, which never fail to cheer me up!
Summer is here, and with it comes an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Temperatures rise during the day, and the desire for food with heat goes along with it. Easy to make, fresh, and with pleasant amount of heat, homemade pico de gallo is just the answer!
Ink, Yarn & Beer 