Humble Hummus

1 15 - 16 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 TLBS Sesame Tahini, stirred thoroughly until smooth

1 tsp garlic powder or 2-3 cloves, crushed

¼ tsp white pepper

1 TLBS olive oil

¼ C lemon juice

2 -3 TLBS soy sauce (to taste)

approximately ¼ C water

Optional: One of the following -12 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, or marinated red peppers, drained and chopped into chunks

In a food processor mix chickpeas until broken. Add sesame tahini and garlic powder or crushed garlic cloves. Mix thoroughly. Pour in olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce while pulse-mixing the food processor. Add enough water until desired consistency is obtained.

Transfer into a plastic container. Stir in by hand chunks of chopped artichoke hearts, cut up sun-dried tomatoes, or marinated red pepper. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. Flavors meld together if left overnight in refrigerator.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Pita bread – torn in pieces for dipping.

Triscuts or other favorite crackers.

Cut up raw vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrot and celery sticks.

FOODNOTES: Hummus is a high protein food since it is made with chickpeas (garbanzo beans) which are a legume. These are low in saturated fats, sodium and cholesterol. Chickpeas are a good source of fiber.

Eating food just from the earth can be a humbling experience if we stop to think about it. A simple dish of beans, some flavorings, oil, other vegetables – so simple, yet so delicious. These elements somehow bring me closer to nature and to the earth's gardens. I love to think about where my foods come from. I like to be comfortable with my food's origins. I always have a good feeling about these earthy kinds of foods, both physically and spiritually.

Garlic & Gorgonzola with Fresh Bread

serves 2 - 4

1 loaf crusty French or Italian bread
1 whole garlic bulb (the entire head)
4 oz Gorgonzola cheese

Wrap whole garlic bulb in aluminum foil. Bake in oven at 350 F for 1 hour or place wrapped garlic in an iron skillet. Cover. Keep on medium-low heat. Turn over after ½ hour, and bake for another half hour. This will save a great deal of heating energy if the oven is not being used to cook other food. Wrap the bread loaf in foil and heat in oven for about 10 minutes. Begin heating bread after garlic is completely baked.

Cut warmed bread into slices as needed. Break off one clove garlic for each slice of bread. Squeeze the skin so the contents oozes out onto the bread. Spread as you would spread butter. Add a few pieces of Gorgonzola cheese.

Red wine makes a wonderful complement to this appetizer.

©Wilma Carolyn Johnson Short

NOTES: The locals of Seattle know about this treasure of a restaurant aptly named “The Pink Door”. We learned about it from a travel book – a series called “Access”, one of the finest guides to Seattle I have come across. It gave directions to the Pink Door, but there were no signs outside to let us know we had arrived. We had to literally look for a pink door. It seemed to be the back door to some hidden establishment, however, once inside we felt ensconced in its warmth with its tiny white “Christmas tree” lights giving the effect that we had entered another world; a cozy and secluded haven.

While we were dining there we noticed bread, baked garlic, soft cheese, and a bottle of red wine being serve to a couple at a nearby table. I asked what “that” was and so learned about this simple but impressive appetizer. That was over 15 years ago and I've been serving this up every now and then, referring to it as the “Pink Door Appetizer”. I think it's so good that one could turn it into a meal.

Oy ve! Paté

1 lb fresh chicken livers

1 tsp cooking oil

(or enough to cover the surface of a frying skillet)

1 pat of butter

Sauté chicken livers in oil and butter over medium-high heat until brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Transfer livers with juices to food processor.

Add:

1/4 C mayonnaise

1/4 C sour cream

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp celery salt

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

salt or a little soy sauce to taste

fresh sprigs of parsley (garnish)

Mix in food processor until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a small lightly oiled bow. Cover and allow to cool in refrigerator for at least 6 hours before serving. Overnight is even better, as the longer this is allowed to set, the more the flavors have time to enhance the paté.

When ready to serve, cut a piece of wax paper the approximate size of the of the bowl lid. Place wax paper onto a platter. Turn out paté onto wax paper with the aid of a thin rubber spatula or butter knife. Smooth top and sides of paté with a rubber spatula or butter knife.

Garnish:Encircle the with sprigs of fresh parsley, placed along the edge where the serving dish meets the paté.

Serving suggestions: As a spread for an appetizer or party dish, serve with bagel chips. Slice with a small cake knife if it is a dense paté . As a sandwich filling, spread generously between two slices of pumpernickel or seeded rye bread. Add a thick layer of lean corned beef, brown mustard with a Kosher dill pickle on the side. Excellent with cole slaw and an ice cold coke.

©Wilma Carolyn Johnson Short

NOTES: When I first moved to Chicago, I was fortunate to have had an early introduction to the joys of Jewish deli foods. My first gastronomical delight was a corned beef and chopped liver sandwich on rye, or maybe it was pumpernickel bread, along with French fries that were some of the best I can remember.I thought after the first bight, the next thing out of my mouth would be Yiddish. The effect was not immedidate, but who was to know that a few years later I would be singing in a Yiddish choir. What fun! And later yet, Hebrew at a syagogue.

At the time of my first bite of corned beef and liver sandwich, I was having my first taste of the full-time work world at Swedish Covenant Hospital, kitty corner from a popular Jewish restaurant called Burt's. It is no longer in existence, but what a treat it was to walk over there with my co-workers once in a while for lunch or dinner. My supervisor brought me there for lunch early on in my short-lived, but too long, hospital careerer. I fell head over heels for this sandwich combination and order whenever I'm in the vicinity of a well-known Jewish deli or restaurant.

On a recent visit to Chicago, I was fortunate to have lunch at another popular Jewish restaurant in Lincolnwood (a north side section of Chicago). Sitting there with my good friend, Rebecca, I decided that my version of liver paté should be a part of my recipe blog. Realizing there are many versions of paté out there, I think mine is worth trying. Others call for boiled eggs, often called chopped liver. Some recipes call for brandy or a lot of butter. This recipe has a smoothness to it, spreadability, and delicious flavors that not all recipe can boast

I'm telling you, it's to die for!

Gringo Salsa

Dedicated to my brother, Peter Johnson

2 lg. cans peeled whole tomatoes

or

4-6 chopped fresh tomatoes (Roma best)

4-5 scallions (green onions) chopped

¾ C chopped fresh cilantro

1 Jalapeño – seeded and finely chopped

1 small lime – juiced

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp hot sauce (yo prefiero “Chuhula” pero “Tabasco” es OK)

Freshly cracked black pepper

If using fresh tomatoes, then add some salt

Variations: Add chopped garlic, skip lime juice, throw in a couple chopped tomatillos,leave some Jalapeño seeds in (hotter); more hot sauce; substitute white/yellow onion for scallions (if desperate)

Salsa is better if it “rests” for a day; if using canned tomatoes, reserve some liquid – it could be too runny if you put everything in.

recipe donated by Burton Johnson

Serving suggestions:

Serve with salty corn chips, guacamole, and ice cold Dos Equis outside on the back porch or in the yard. Perfect on a hot summer night.

©Wilma Carolyn Johnson Short

NOTES: Many years ago, I attempted to make my own salsa. I put everything that I thought I'd had in restaurant salsa into mine. Only once did I attempt this impossible feat. I thought I did an OK job but, admittedly, it was a bit runny. I invited my brother and his family over. He took one look at my salsa, then quipped, “Is this your idea of salsa?” (brothers can be so direct!) I hemmed and hawed. “Uh, yah," suddenly realizing what I concocted wasn't very good, at least by his west coast, Santa Barbara standards, so he later emailed his own salsa recipe, which I admit is very good. I follow Burt's recipe when I make salsa – not much experimentation when it comes to any south of the border foods. I do just fine with improvising food combinations related to around the 45^th parallel , even better with foods close to the polar circle; bland Swedish fixings is right up my alley. However, I do love to indulge in very hot Mexican foods. My parents would never admit it, but I think I have some Aztec Indian blood running through my veins.

Claire's Dip

Dedicated to Kirstin McCarthy

1 C sour cream
1 C mayonnaise
4-5 dashes Tabasco
1 T parsley
1 T dry green onion
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp garlic powder or garlic salt
1 tsp *Beau Monde
salt to taste if using garlic powder
optional: 1 tsp Accent (MSG)



Thoroughly mix all ingredients in a bowl. Cover. Allow flavors to blend several hours or overnight in refrigerator.

Serve with your favorite veggies or any combinations of the following; cut up celery, carrots, red, yellow, orange, green or purple peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, yellow summer squash, scallions, whole radishes and cherry tomatoes.

The original recipe calls for garlic salt. I altered this part mainly because I find that buying garlic powder is more useful and economical than garlic salt. One can always mix garlic and salt together. I also like the kick the extra garlic gives to this dip. It may need just a touch of salt to bring out the combined flavors.

*Beau Monde" comes from France. It means “beautiful world”. It can be found in the spice aisle of most large supermarkets. It is a blending of celery seed powder and onion powder. Used sparingly it enhances many a dish with its subtle, but nearly undecipherable flavor. Having a bottle of Beau Monde in your larder will eventually find its way into many savory dishes.

©Wilma Carolyn Johnson Short

NOTES:
I first had this wonderful dip at my cousin Claire's home in Providence. I had recently moved to RI after graduating from college. I was so impressed with the flavors of this smooth dip served up with crunchy vegetables that I started making it many times over to bring to parties or other social events. Always, someone would ask me for the recipe. Or ask “What's in this? It's delicious!” This was in the days before we even imagined having PCs, so I would write it out on a 3x5” card or a scrap of paper for each person who wanted the recipe.

I do not know the origin of this dip. As far as I'm concerned this is “Claire's Dip” and I like to think of my good times with her whenever I make up a batch. My memories of Claire extend from early childhood Christmases at her parents Rumford home; the time she gave me a doll identical to the one she had that I loved so - I named the doll Claire-Betsy; the apartment we shared in Chicago just after I graduated from high school; and being put up for a while in Claire's and Dan's attic on the east side of Providence while I was seeking employment as a music teacher. (I'll never forget the time the space heater fan stopped working and I went to bed with my long hair still wet. When I woke up the next morning I found ice crystals n my hair.)

Claire was a good, and often, eclectic cook. If she made a dessert, she made two others just in case the first one bombed. If she made a main course, she made a back-up dish and always ample vegetables. She seemed to be in two places at once in her kitchen. She moved sprightly from cabinet to stove, much like our grandmother, Clara. She began incorporating wine, garlic, olive oil, butter, and fresh herbs and was not afraid to use spices generously. I honed a great deal of cooking ideas from her that slowly evolved into my own cooking style.

Claire was like a sister to me (our mothers were sisters). We talked like sisters. We argued like sisters, but we shared and listened to each other like sisters. Peace be to her wonderful memory.