Beyond making scrambled eggs and heating frozen chicken in the oven, I am utterly and completely useless in the kitchen (did you know that I haven't ever made myself a grilled cheese sandwich?). I am attempting to change this. Armed with beginner's cookbooks and a spatula, I am marching into the kitchen, and I am declaring WAR. This blog shall host the details of my victories (and my inevitable losses) in the kitchen.
Round One: Kim vs. Hummus
I am bound and determined to be able to make this by Christmas, so I can have it out and available for the family's Christmas "dinner" (rather than a full-fledged meal, we stick to grazing on finger foods for Christmas). Here is the recipe I found and attempted:
1 can chickpeas (separate 1/4 cup of liquid from can)
3-5 tbsp lemon juice (I went in the middle and used 4)
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
Throw everything into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Garnish with paprika.
I would have included a picture, but I'm having technical difficulties with my camera at the moment...but hopefully, each recipe I try will be accompanied by a picture of my final result (no matter how hideous it may turn out).
This recipe was close, but no cigar. I'm not sure if I didn't process long enough (it felt like it was forever though), but the texture just wouldn't smooth out quite right. Maybe my processor's shoddy, I don't know. The first thing I noticed when it hit my tongue (on some nice, warm pita bread) was GAH! Lemon juice! Note to self, four tablespoons is too much...
The next thing I noticed was the tahini. I had a hard time telling if I used too much or too little though because I was still battling the aftertaste of that excessive lemon juice. Actually, the aftertaste of the whole thing was pretty good though. It was pretty garlicky, but I think I like that. I have a different recipe to try now (and LESS LEMON JUICE), but I'll wait until all of this round is eaten before I attempt that.
The kitchen won this battle, but the war has only just begun! Until next time!
SCORE: KITCHEN - 1 KIM - 0
Ha! I love that you're doing this! I hope you get this recipe down by Christmas. I love Hummus! I buy the Athenos kind. My favorite is the roasted red pepper. Yummmmmmm..... :)
ReplyDeleteI love Hummus, too (hmmm...that could be why I'm trying to make it...). I've got friends that make yuuuuummmmmyy hummus. Gonna try one of their recipes for it next.
ReplyDeleteI think with hummus you kind of have to play with the proportions as you're making it to figure out what you like. I like a thinner consistency so I use a lot of oil, and I even add water if I think it's too thick. You have to run it through the food processor for a REALLY long time to break down the chickpeas, those things are beasts.
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