Monday, June 2, 2008

Photogenic? No. Good? Yes.

Right off the bat let's understand that I am not the biggest hummus consumer. If there is a fan club, I won't be Googling it (Now is a good time to ask if you have set up your Google reader page so you can keep track of me? It is super easy and it makes reading fifty blogs a day a whiz.). The caveat is that I like food that works for its keep, which this dip/ spread generally does. It is a form of hummus I suppose, but it doesn't bother me.

You know, its like anything in life, the better the ingredients you put into it, the better the product they turn out. The same goes for the kitchen staff at the club yesterday who elected to use bad, stale croissants and pastries for the social tea: What you put in is what you will get out in terms of attendance. I don't need to pay for bad pastry, I am learning pastry in this forum and so I have plenty on hand, albeit never stale. Mr. Bourdain, take note...

I dreamed this up while someone was screaming at me, admittedly not my most creative environment, but I can work under pressure if I need to. I hope you use it in good health for good health. If you love Indian food, this is right up your alley. While it is not the biggest looker in photography, it is very tasty, just warm and deep on your palate. A nice place to begin a light supper.

Spinach, roasted garlic, warm masala spice dip
Makes 2.5 cups

As long as you drain the spinach completely, you can add a great deal more which would be even better for your bod. Whose bod doesn't want better, huh?

1 15.5 ounce can chickpeas
1 small head garlic, roasted
1 cup chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup plus two tablespoons best quality olive oil

Into the food processor, place the chickpeas, roasted garlic cloves, spinach, cumin seed, garam masala, hot paprika, sea salt, and pepper. Pulse for 20 seconds (large pieces may remain). Turn the processor on and through the feed tube, drizzle in the 1/4 cup of olive oil until ingredients are combined to the consistency you prefer (I like mine a bit chunky.) Transfer the mixture to your serving bowl. Pour the remaining two tablespoons directly over the top. Serve with pita chips.

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