Pita and Hummus

We are having the traditional end-of-summer cookout on Labor Day weekend and we are going vaguely Mediterranean. One of the appetizers (mezze?) is going to be pita and hummus. The nice thing about both of them is that, even if you buy them, they usually don't have soy in them (read every label, every time.) We buy whole-wheat pita, but we make our hummus. It's just too cheap when you make it, and too darned expensive when you buy it.

Here's a hummus recipe I use. It is sort of a mix of several I have seen. The best hummus I ever ate was in Israel, and I have been seeking that flavor ever since.

Hummus bi Tahini
2 cups cooked chickpeas (cook a bunch ahead of time and freeze them in 2-cup lots, or use canned, but fresh is better)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (can use more, up to 3/4 cup)
1/2-3/4 cup tahini
3 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp ground cumin
pinch cayenne
water or chickpea cooking water
olive oil for serving
paprika, zaatar*, or chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Combine all ingredients in the blender. Add enough water to process (1/4 cup or slightly more). You can make the hummus a little soupy because it is going to stiffen up as it sets. I like it when it is made a day ahead.

In Israel, I had it smeared on a plate, with a circular ditch in it. They put a little olive oil in the ditch, then sprinkled half with paprika and half with zaatar. Most cookbooks tell you to sprinkle it with chopped fresh parsley, and sometimes they say sprinkle with a few reserved chickpeas.

*Zaatar is a dried herb/sesame seed blend. You can probably get it in Mediterranean markets, and Penzey's carries it.

For anyone who is interested, here's the whole Labor Day menu:

Labne**
Hummus
Pita
Grilled chicken
Orzo salad***
Romaine salad with:
Mayo Caesar dressing
Basbousa (semolina and coconut cake)
Pistachio shortbread
Apricot sweetmeats
Stuffed dates
Mint Iced Tea

**Labne is yogurt cheese. You make it by draining whole-milk yogurt overnight in a sieve through cheesecloth or coffee filters. Serve it with pita the same as the hummus--olive oil and paprika or zaatar. One time we found goat-milk yogurt at Trader Joe's and made labne from that--it was really good.

***I highly recommend the Orzo salad from Epicurious.com. It calls for 12 oz of orzo, but I just throw in the whole 16-oz box. I don't much like capers (see the post on Tartar sauce) but they seem to work in this recipe. I also recommend cutting back on the oil, almost by half.

Chicken Nuggets

As far as I know, there is no truth-in-advertising law for blogs, but I will tell you up front that these chicken nuggets are not going to taste like MacD's. (As they say on Seinfeld, not that there's anything wrong with that.) I can't even walk into a MacDonald's, or I walk out with asthma. Something with soy in it--fryer grease? non-stick spray for the grill?--is in the air.

We serve these hot over salad with a creamy dressing.

Chicken Nuggets
(more of an idea than a recipe)

1 - 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken
flour (white, whole-wheat, or a mix)
sesame seeds
paprika
Old Bay seafood seasoning or celery salt
canola or other soy-free oil
Asian sesame oil

In a shallow bowl or pie plate, put some flour (1/3-1/2 cup?) and add 2 or 3 tablespoons of sesame seeds, about 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, several shakes of Old Bay or celery salt, and stir to mix.

Cut the chicken into chicken-nugget sized pieces and dredge in the flour mixture. Heat a couple of tablespoons of canola oil in a skillet, and add a teaspoon or two of sesame oil. Saute the nuggets unti golden brown and the chicken is cooked through (cut one in half to see.)

You can serve these over salad like we do, or you can dunk them in sweet-and-sour sauce.

Hooray for the bread machine, part 3: Almond Braid

Well, we are on a bread kick, apparently. An old friend of mine from my graduate school days is in town and she came this morning for coffee. She offered to bring doughnuts, but if they don't have soy flour in them (like Dunkin Donuts) they are fried in soy oil. So that's out. I made one of my husband's favorite coffee cakes. It's reminiscent of an almond danish:

Almond Braid

3/4 cup milk (skim is fine)
1 egg
2 Tbs butter
1/2 8-oz can almond paste (or 1/2 7-oz tube)*
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1.) Put all the ingredients in the bread machine in the order called for in the machine's manual. Process on "dough" mode.
2.) On a floured board, pat the dough into a rectangle and cut in thirds. Roll each third into a long rope, about 18 inches. On a cookie sheet lined with parchement or buttered foil, braid the three ropes together, pinch the ends, and tuck under.
3.) Bake at 375F for 25 minutes. When cool, glaze (see below).

Almond Glaze
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1-2 Tbs milk
sliced almonds

Measure the confectioner's sugar in a one-cup measure and leave it in the cup. Add the extract and let it melt a hole into the sugar. A little at a time, add the milk, stirring until the glaze is thin enough to spread but not runny. Spread it over the braid, and sprinkle with the sliced almonds.

* Save the other half in the freezer. You'll want to make this bread again.

Hooray for the Bread Machine, part 2: Cinnamon Rolls

You know how tired you get when you're shopping in a mall, and how hungry you get, and how those cinnamon rolls smell so good? Well, when you're soy allergic, you can't buy them. They may be soy-free--who knows? The company doesn't post this information on their website, and I haven't written them. In any case, here's a recipe that's pretty close, except I don't use a cream-cheese based frosting:

Cinnamon Rolls

Dough
2 teaspoons yeast
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk*
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, cut into small chunks
1 egg

Filling:
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

For pan:
2 tablespoons melted butter

Icing:
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water or milk


1. Put all the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order specified in the manual and process on "dough" mode.
2. Turn out onto a floured board and roll out into a rectangle 1/2" thick or slightly less.
3. Spread dough with 2 Tbs melted butter, leaving one long edge unbuttered. Mix together 2/3 cup sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough, avoiding the unbuttered edge.
4. Roll up jellyroll fashion, starting with the long edge opposite the unbuttered one. Wet the unbuttered edge with your finger, and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 pieces.
5. Coat bottom of a 9"x13' pan with 2 tablespoons melted butter.
6. Place cinnamon roll slices in 4 rows of 3 each in the pan. Let rise in a warm place until dough has doubled, 30-45 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25 minutes.
8. Prepare glaze. In small bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon melted butter, vanilla, and enough warm water or milk to make spreadable. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

*note: can use 2 Tbsp dry milk powder and another 1/2 cup of water