Side Dishes Archives - I am a Honey Bee

I love memories that so many of my memories are related to food in some way or another.

I attended a sleep away summer camp for 5 years while I was growing up, and I have so many wonderful memories from those summers, but some of the best ones are related to the food. And I’m not talking about fond memories about toasted marshmallows, I’m talking real deal awesome food.

Chef Jean was in charge in the kitchen at camp. He, and his crew, made wonderful food, but the best was his bread. Big loaves of freshly baked bread were served at meals. Most often the bread was still a bit warm. The strategy was that the moment grace was done everyone would snag a piece of bread from the serving platter so a camper at the table could grab the platter and bring it back to the kitchen for another loaf. This had to be done quickly so that you could get another loaf as they typically made 2 loafs for a table, but some tables would get sneaky and rush back and forth so quickly they would steal another loaf of bread. Thieves!!!

While most people would put butter on the bread, I would put hummus. I first tried hummus at camp and I was hooked. I loved the subtle flavor of the chick pea spread. The thick, creamy texture was a hit too. Plus, this felt a bit exotic to me as hummus wasn’t as popular and readily available as it is today.

I have to tell you that the best hummus I have ever made is from Liz‘s latest ebook in her Food From Our Ancestors series: The Ultimate Syrian Sunday Dinner. Her previous ebooks The Ultimate Jewish Shabbat Dinner, The Ultimate Italian Sunday Dinner and The Ultimate Mexican Sunday Dinner were all also fantastic. Liz really immerses herself in the culture of the food she is writing about.

In this case, she pulled together 12 classic family recipes that she has grown up on. The favorites that she makes now for her family have been compiled into this great collection of recipes.

Of course, I was immediately drawn to Aunt Vieve’s Hummus with Toasted Pine Nuts because I loved that it was named after someone that put so much love and care into it. And I love, love, love hummus. A total win, win!

The scallions, parsley, and toasted pine nuts are an optional garnish, except that I don’t think they are optional. I just think that you would be doing yourself a major disservice if you skipped them. And you should trust me as I shoveled way too much to admit into my mouth.

I enjoyed this hummus with some pita, but it would also be great with some veggies. Or your hand. Just scoop it up and eat it up. Okay, I do admit is a bit much, but if you happen to do that, I make no judgement. Autumn used to eat hummus that way when she was younger. And babies eating foods with half their fist in their mouth is hilariously cute, a grown adult… Not so much. Ha!

She did tell me that it was too ‘spicy’ for her, but she was telling me “yo mom, I know you added more lemon juice than what was called for since you love a really lemony hummus, but that’s not my jam.” One day she will learn to describe food in another way, besides it being spicy. And also stop telling me that ketchup is spicy. She isn’t to be trusted.

But please trust me when I say that this hummus is a life changer!!!!

Aunt Vieve’s Hummus with Toasted Pine Nuts

Makes 16 servings

Ingredients

2 15-oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
juice of two lemons
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 Cup tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 Cup water or chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin, optional
chopped scallions, minced parsley, and toasted pine nuts, for garnish
pita bread for serving

Process

Place first eight ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Check for
seasoning and add more garlic, lemon or salt, as desired.
To serve, spread on platter in a thin layer and garnish with toasted pine nuts,
scallions and fresh parsley. Drizzle with some olive oil. Serve with pita bread.

Notes

Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
To toast pine nuts, put in a single layer on a sheet pan or cookie sheet, place in a
350-degree oven for 7-9 minutes. Alternatively, you can toast in a dry skillet over low heat. Stir every few minutes until golden brown.

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