Ezme

Adapted from an Ottolenghi recipe. 

Ingredients

2 shallots

6 garlic cloves

5 red chiles (I used Fresnos)

6 plum tomatoes

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. tomato paste

2 1/2 tbsp. pomegranate molasses

20 g. walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

1 c. fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

1 c. fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

1/2 c. Greek style yogurt (I used Kite Hill) 

Directions

Heat up the grill. In a large bowl, mix the shallots, garlic, chiles, tomatoes and a tablespoon of the oil. Once the grill is hot, grill the vegetables, using tongs to turn them as necessary: give the shallots about two minutes on each side, until softened and charred; grill the chiles and garlic for about five minutes, turning often, until the skins are blistered and blackened all over; and grill the tomatoes for about 10 minutes, until softened and blistered. Once cooked, lift the vegetables on to a board and leave to cool.

Once the grilled vegetables are cool, peel off and discard the chiles, garlic and tomato skins, then finely chop all the vegetables and put in a medium bowl. Stir in a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and all the remaining ingredients for the ezme, except the yogurt, then set aside.

To serve, spoon the yogurt over a large platter, spread it out evenly with the back of the spoon, then make a well in the center. Spoon the ezme on top and serve.

Fiery Green Tahini Sauce

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/fiery-green-tahini-sauce

Ingredients
2 lemons
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup tahini (such as Soom)
Kosher salt

3 cups chopped parsley

2 serrano chiles

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Directions
Finely grate zest of 1 lemon into a blender. Cut both lemons in half and tease out seeds. Squeeze juice into blender; you should have around ½ cup. Add chiles, garlic, parsley, oil, and ⅓ cup cold water and blend on high speed until smooth and very green. NOTE: With water, it's a condiment, without the water it's more of a sauce.

Pour mixture into a medium bowl, add tahini, and whisk until fully incorporated; season sauce generously with salt.

Cover and chill. Sauce can be made 3 days ahead.

Makes about 2 cups. 

Baba Ghanoush

Ingredients
1 large Italian eggplant
Salt, to taste
1/4 c. Simple Tahini Sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for garnish

Garnish
cherry tomatoes, halved
Toasted pine nuts
Ground sumac
Chopped parsley

Directions
Place eggplant directly on a gas burner and roast over medium-low heat. Turn until charred and blistered all over, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat, place in a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let cool for 10 minutes. (If you don't have a gas burner, the grill will work. But, try to connect the eggplant with open flame, if possible.)

When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, remove to a cutting board, make a cross-cut to open, and scoop out 1 cup of the flesh into another bowl. Add a pinch of salt and ¼ cup Simple Tahini Sauce and mix. Grate in about ¼ teaspoon garlic, followed by the olive oil, and mix again. Garnish with more tahini sauce, pine nuts, cherry tomatoes, salt, sumac, parsley, and more olive oil, and serve. 

Makes about 2 cups.

1 cup = 325 calories (without garnish)

Simple Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

2 c. high quality tahini

3/4 c. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 head of garlic

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. ice water

Directions

Break apart the garlic cloves, putting the cloves into a high powered blender, including paper skins. Add lemon juice and blend for a few minutes until you have a coarse paste. Let sit for 10 minutes so the garlic can mellow a bit. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a large mixing bowl and press the mixture into the sieve until you've extracted as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Add cumin and salt. Whisk in the tahini until smooth; the sauce will lighten in color. Whenever the tahini seizes up or tightens, add ice water bit by bit, whisking energetically until you have a perfectly smooth, creamy, thick sauce.

Makes 2 1/2 cups of tahini sauce to be used as an ingredient in hummus or baba ghanoush. 

1 cup = 724 calories

Radio Social's Hummus

Ingredients
1 c. dried chickpeas
2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. tahini - use Soom!
1 c. lemon juice
2 heads of garlic, chopped with the skins on
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 c. ice water, a few tablespoons at a time

Instructions
Put chickpeas in a container with baking soda and cover with water. Soak for 24 hours.

While your chickpeas are soaking, make your "mother sauce" base. Start by making garlic-infused lemon juice by combining lemon juice with garlic cloves (with the skins on) and let sit for 10 minutes. Then, strain out the garlic. Use a food processor to blend the tahini paste, salt, and cumin with ice water, a few tablespoons at a time. You will be left with your tahini mother sauce, a puree that resembles a light hummus.

After the chickpeas have soaked for 24 hours, simmer them over gentle heat for 90 minutes to two hours, stirring often. You can leave the pot on the stove and "let them go until they're gone." The chickpeas will double in volume in the cooking process, so be sure to use more water than you think you need. You should be able to mash the peas between your fingers without resistance.

Strain the peas until most of the moisture is removed. Set aside some of the water. Puree 1.5 cups of tahini mother sauce and the chickpeas together. Add both elements to the food processor and puree. A good rule of thumb: when you think you're done pureeing, keep going for 3 to 5 more minutes. This incorporates air into the puree and further breaks down the chickpeas.

Plate your hummus into a dish and top with a garnish of your choice! Serve immediately for best results, with dipping breads or veggies. The hummus will keep in the fridge for several days.

Muhammara Dip

Ingredients
1-12 oz. jar roasted red bell peppers (in water)
1/2 c. raw walnuts
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 slice bread
2 tbsp. sun dried tomatoes, softened in warm water
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. pomegranate molasses, plus more to taste
1 tsp. fresh garlic, minced (about 1 clove)
1/2 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp. ground cumin, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
2 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped to serve

Directions
Drain the bell peppers, and pat dry. Throw all ingredients except parsley into your high-speed blender and blast on high for about 30 to 60 seconds until smooth and creamy. Tweak the pomegranate molasses, salt, cumin, and red pepper flakes to taste. Chill in fridge for a few hours or overnight to allow flavors to develop. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the parsley. Served with toasted ciabatta, pita, crackers, or crudites. The dip will keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for about 5 days.

Elote

Ingredients
1 lb. package of frozen corn
1 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. Cholula brand hot sauce
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. sugar
¼ c. cotija cheese
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped as garnish
Tortilla chips

Directions
Sautee corn in pan in a little oil to heat and slightly roast, but not burn. Add everything else except the cheese and cilantro and heat just to simmer. Put in serving bowl and top with cheese and cilantro.

Classic Tzatziki

A traditional Greek dip, tzatziki makes a tasty topping for sandwiches. Serve with pita wedges or crudités.

Ingredients

1 c. cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
2 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

Place cucumber on several layers of paper towels; sprinkle with 1/8 tsp. salt. Let stand 30 minutes. Combine cucumber, yogurt, and remaining ingredients, stirring until well blended. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Mango Salsa

This salsa is super easy and always gets rave reviews. Offering a fruit-based salsa, a guacamole and a traditional tomato-based salsa makes a very colorful spread for summer parties on the deck. Best accompanied by mojitos and margaritas!

Ingredients
1 mango, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 tbsp. honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions
Toss ingredients for a chunky salsa, or pulse each ingredient lightly (don't puree!) in Chef Tony's Ultimate Chopper (or a regular food processor) separately and then combine for a more cohesive salsa.

Fruit Dip

Ingredients
1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 container Cool Whip
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions
Soften cream cheese at room temperature for 4-5 hours. Whip in sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and Cool Whip. Serve with fresh fruit.