Carrot Hummus

I ripped this recipe out of a magazine about six (?) months ago, today I have made it, but just the hummus part. Here's the full page if you want to make it as a dinner or part of a dinner:

 Here's just the hummus part, adapted:

1 pound orange carrots cleaned/peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

2 tablespoons tahini (if separated in jar, mix before using)

1-2 tablespoons water

optional: 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Bring 1 inch water to a boil in a medium saucepan with steamer basket over medium-high heat. Cut the carrots into chunky rounds, place in steamer basket and cover. Steam until just tender, about 15-20 mins. 

2. While carrots are steaming, combine olive oil, smoked paprika, lemon juice and salt.

3. Place steamed carrots in a food processor with S blade (chopping/mixing blade) and process until chopped.  Drizzle in the flavored olive oil/lemon juice, add the tahini and water, and process until smooth.

 

Cool to at least room temperature, or in fridge, before serving, or transfer to jar/container.

Vegetable Quiche

I made this for a little New Year's/Three King's Day get-together with Iris and Johanna this week. Johanna made cheese fondue and arugula salad, and Iris brought the bread, dips and mango salsa. Most quiche recipes consist of several steps, starting with making and then blind-baking the crust, then adding the filling, and baking again. I didn't have time for that, and I also prefer a softer, not crunchy, bottom, so I combined several recipes based on Impossible Quiche. Most recipes for Impossible Quiche use Bisquick, but I didn't have that in the house, so I made substitutions and it worked out fine. I didn't remember to take a photo but I'm making this again soon and will try to remember to take a picture to add!

Vegetable Ingredients:
1 finely chopped small onion (½ medium)
1 small leek, white and green parts (sliced lengthwise to wash then cut into thin half-rings)
½ container mushrooms, sliced (or chopped depending on how much you have to hide them!)
black pepper
1 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried parsley
1 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp fresh or dried basil
½ cup frozen spinach
chives from the garden (optional)
¼ cup grated cheese (any kind you like, I used mozzarella) or more if you want it very cheesy
sliced tomatoes for the top (optional)

Wet Ingredients:
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup flour
3 large eggs
1 tsp baking powder
salt

Preheat oven 350 degrees F

Sauté onion, leek and mushrooms in olive oil with a little salt until wilted and slightly browned. Add black pepper, parsley and basil.  Add frozen spinach and stir until softened and heated through. Take off heat and set aside. 

In blender, combine milk, flour, eggs, baking powder and a little salt and blend on low for 1 minute. 

Butter a baking dish (I used an 8 inch square aluminum pan). Transfer vegetable mixture to baking dish. Sprinkle half the grated cheese over. Carefully pour milk and egg mixture over it. Lay thinly sliced tomatoes and the rest of the grated cheese. 

Bake 35-45 mins in the lower to middle part of the oven until golden and a little puffy. Check it after 35 mins, test it with a toothpick (should come out mostly dry). Cool slightly before cutting and serving so it sets up.

Fig butter

Fig butter by Yvette van Boven

1 cup dried figs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt

Blitz the dried figs, without the hard stem, in a food processor; add the spices and a pinch of salt. Roll the mixture into the log in plastic wrap. Leave to cool in the refrigerator and cut into attractive slices.

Iris's hapje: slice of fig butter, top with little bit of brie and thin slice of cucumber.

Note: you can use fresh figs, I used black missions. You get fig jam, also very delicious. Serve same way but the cucumber becomes the bottom layer, sliced about 1/4 inch thick.

Apricot Tapenade

Apricot Tapenade
from Home Made: the Ultimate DIY Cookbook by Yvette van Boven

1 1/2 cups dried apricots, soaked
2 sprigs rosemary
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 clove garlic (or more...)
salt & freshly ground pepper

Blitz all the ingredients in a food processor. If necessary, add some more oil. You can keep the tapenade in the refrigerator for some time. Make sure the tapenade is always covered with a thin layer of oil. The tapenade is great on toast, as is, or with cheese or cured ham.

Flo's Sweet Basil Sweetcake

INGREDIENTS

Butter, for greasing the pan

1/2 cup (4oz) ricotta cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (4oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup (3 oz) goat cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
Pinch fine sea salt
 1/2 packed cup chopped fresh basil (& optional: add small amount of fresh tarragon)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Serving suggestion: assorted crackers

Special equipment: 4 1/2-inch diameter spring-form pan, about 2 1/2 inches tall

DIRECTIONS

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 4 1/2-inch diameter springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper. Wrap the outside of the pan with a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Place the ricotta cheese, cream cheese and goat cheese in a food processor. Pulse until mixed. Add the sugar, egg, egg yolk and salt, and blend until smooth. Add the basil and pulse until incorporated. Pour the cheese mixture into the prepared pan. Place the pan in an 8-inch by 8-inch square baking dish. Pour enough hot water in the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden at the edges and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken (the cheesecake will become firm when chilled), about 50 minutes.

Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the springform pan from the baking dish and remove the foil. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan. Allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature before serving, about 30 minutes.

Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the cheesecake with extra-virgin olive oil and serve with assorted crackers. Alternative: serve with tomato chutney and crackers.

Artichoke Bread

Jean brought this when we had our annual soup day. It was so delicious, the kids kept eating it too. You could use non-fat or low-fat sour cream to make it a little healthier.

¼ cup butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts or artichoke bottoms
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
½ cup sour cream
1 loaf (large) French bread or two small loaves, unsliced.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in large skillet; add garlic and sesame seeds. Cook, stirring constantly, until sesame seeds are slightly browned. Remove from heat and stir in next three ingredients. Set aside.

Cut bread lengthwise and scoop out centers, leaving a shell of about ½ inch. Place soft removed bread in hot oven to slightly dry it out (10 minutes or so). Put dried bread in food processor to make fine bread crumbs. Add crumbs to artichoke and cheese mixture in the pan and stir well. Texture should be that of a thick dip. It shouldn’t be runny. But if it looks too dry, add a bit more sour cream or milk to loosen it. (I think mine was a bit on the dry side, but that might have been from transporting and then re-heating; not sure).

Place loaf halves on cookie sheet, cover lightly with oil-sprayed foil, and bake about 25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 to 7 minutes to brown top, or pop it under broiler.

Allow the bread to set for 5 minutes or so; then slice and serve. Can be an appetizer or dinner accompaniment.