One day, two boys named Hummus and Tabouli set off for a great adventure...This is good summer eating. From my garden came spearmint, chives and tomatoes. Here's an early shot of the chives.
Hummus
2 large (or to taste – we like garlic) cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half
1 TBL EVOO (ala Rachael Ray)
14oz can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
6 TBL lemon juice — about 2-3 lemons
1/2 cup EVOO
2 TSP ground cumin
1/2 TSP cayenne (or more to taste)
Heat 1 TBL EVOO, add garlic and sauté for about one minute. Don’t let the garlic get brown. If it does, toss and start over. Have ready in a food processor or blender all other ingredients and pour the hot EVOO and garlic in. Blend to a soft paste. Pour into a bowl, sprinkle with more cayenne and serve with fresh veggies and / or warm pita bread.
P.S. I usually make a double batch of hummus. It goes fast.
Tabouli
1-1/3 cups bulgur
5 TBL lemon juice (about two lemons)
2 cloves (or to taste) garlic through garlic press
1/2 TSP ground cumin
Sea salt to taste (maybe 1/4 tsp)
1/2 cup EVOO
2 large tomatoes chopped
1 cup chopped fresh parley (just the leaves)
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped finely
6 TBL minced green onions or chives (or a mix)
4 TBL fresh mint (I like spearmint)
Place bulgur in a bowl and pour about three times its volume of water. Let soak an hour or so until soft. Place a tea towel in a colander and drain bulgur. Squeeze out the extra moisture in towel and place bulgur in bowl. This is important to get all the moisture out. The grains should be sort of fluffy and dry.
In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt. Stir in EVOO and blend well. Pour this over bulgur. Then toss in chopped tom’s, parsley, cucumber, green onions and mint with bulgur and mix well.
Serve as a salad by itself or on top of fresh spinach. Here’s the best way: Stand next to your kitchen counter, take pita bread and spread a lot of hummus on it and then top with tabouli. Yum!
