This is my first attempt at making artichoke dip.

We LOVE artichokes but I mostly cook them like this—well, those are fresh artichokes ($3-$4 each, anyone?). However, this time the ones I had were the packaged frozen ones so I thought about a dip as the way to go. I always wanted to make artichoke dip. I just love ordering them at restaurants. The dips are so rich and luscious.

And so, I did.

The other night, I made it for dinner. I was floored by its awesomeness and so I had snatched it from the dinner table, from right under my husband’s nose, to take a quick photo, and it looked like this:

… yeah, not so pretty, but I had to be quick!

But the next day I had more time, and there were leftovers—lucky you!—lucky me!—and it looked a lot better in the sun light:

Lunch.

Yum yum, give me some, as my father used to say.

Artichoke dip

So what’s in it?

1 package of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed 3 minutes in the microwave, then coarsely chopped
1/3 cup sour cream
about 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
some goat cheese, crumbled
some grated cheddar cheese
2 handfuls of arugula, optional
salt and pepper
a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter, small diced

Gently mix everything, besides the butter, in a big bowl. Place it all in a greased baking dish, scatter some butter on top

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Dinner time approached. I had no plan in mind. And so, I made dishes on the go, not being fully aware about what I was doing.

I took a peek inside the fridge. There were some leftovers… Chicken meatballs… Grilled chicken breast… Broccoli – we didn’t eat that for a long time (we’re just not big broccoli fans) – and there was the store-bought gnocchi, just lying there next to the eggs. Side dishes are always challenging, especially with two kiddies who are not huge veggie fans.

I thought “Hmm, gnocchi, why not?”

What I usually like to do with gnocchi is to cook it in salted water, as the instructions on the package instruct, and then crisp it up in a skillet with butter. People, I can hear you say “Yum!”

But that night… I was being lazy. And the medium size pot was in the dish washer and the other pots are either too big or too small for the job. So I had a problem/reason/excuse to take a short cut. I just had to. I was necessary. Or should I say “motivating”? “Inspiring?”

Either way, “So” I thought to myself (Do you ever talk to yourself?), “since my goal is crispy, browned gnocchi anyway, why not try to bake it and see what happens? Just skip the cooking in water step and launch straight right into the crispy-ing step?”

… and you know how that has ended, right?!

There wasn’t much to lose anyway. Only a box of store-bought gnocchi. I wasn’t too attached to it or something… It’s not like I hand-made them myself… Like, from scratch, you know…

I probably would have approached it with more caution and hesitation had I rolled each tiny, fluffy “gnocch” (Who knows what’s the singular for gnocchi?) one by one, lovingly and individually with my own bare hands… Which, you know… I didn’t.

Well, what da’ya know? It turned out good. Not bad at all…

The texture was more chewy, and gummy, and doughy compared to when you cook it in water first. They were like little, savory cakes. We ate it like nuts – the gnocchi, not us – with our fingers, as if it was a snack.

I will definitely do this again. Even on nights when I’m not particularly lazy.

Baked gnocchi

1 store-bought gnocchi
salt
black pepper, freshly ground
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
Toss the gnocchi with salt, pepper, a generous drizzle of olive oil, and mix gently with your hands.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for (I believe it took) 10-15 minutes, or until it’s cooked through and beautifully tanned.

***

I have already compared my glamorous suburban life to meatballs before. So what else is left to say?

Do you like chicken?

Do you like meatballs?

Do you like cheese in your chicken meatballs?

Oh, oh, I know, do you like a crusty bottom on your meatballs?

‘Cause these little guys have nice crusty bottoms, and they’re well-tanned ones too!

They get it from their mother, ahem, eh, from the pan

What other virtues do they have?

They’re easy-peasy to make, fun to eat, cheesy (I’ve already said so), and bite size (love that). I think they’ll make good appetizers when dressed up in something fancy and their bottoms covered.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a pile of laundry to take care of.

But before I go, to entertain you a bit more, this is the photo I took on December 2008 (with a point and shoot) when I made the meatballs and their soup:

I’m pretty sure that the exact same photo with a DSLR + minus the artificial yellow light would have looked much fancier…

Italian Wedding Soup’s chicken meatballs

The complete recipe plus the soup can be found in Barefoot Contessa “Back to Basics” cookbook or online, click here. This is my adaptation for the meatballs.

*One of my favorite shortcuts is to prepare herb flavored fresh breadcrumbs ahead of time and keep them in the freezer for exactly this sort of recipes. Click here to see.

Makes 6-8 servings, about 40 meatballs

1-1/2 pound ground chicken thighs
2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs*
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano/Parmesan, or any cheese you have and like
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the chicken, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, cheese, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with your hands.

With a teaspoon, or cookie scoop (my favorite kitchen tool, it makes less mess (see a photo of one in this cookie post)), drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a lightly greased sheet pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.

Sometimes the simple things in life are the trickiest ones to nail down.

Not to discourage you, but you might think that by taking a no-cooking recipe with a few basic ingredients, whizzing them all together in a food processor, then voila, you’ll have hummus? Eh, no. It doesn’t quite work that way.

Life’s simplest pleasures are at times elusive, mysterious, and beyond reach. Way beyond taking one earthy ingredient, another spicy, the third playful, the other sharp, creamy, savory, and sour, and marrying them all together into one happy dip. You might think that all you need is The Formula for how to put them all together to create the one magical ultimate mixture. But no. It’s not that easy.

I used to buy store-bought pre-made hummus. Then I decided to go all the way and make my own from scratch, including cooking the dried garbanzo/chickpeas. But I gave it all up and now I settled for buying organic canned beans and continuing from there. So, it’s sort of a compromise and finding my place somewhere in the middle of the completely pre-made to the completely cooked from scratch continuum.  And why did this happen in the first place?

I have tried for years to perfect this paste and I have never expected to be faced with so many complaints and… criticism. Sniffle. Ahem ahem. Yes. My dear husband ( Hi honey!) used to complain/whine/nag that my hummus was one or more of the following:

too garlicky

too salty

too chunky

too smooth

too lemony

too thick

too thin

bla bla bla…

He thought it was THAT easy.

Until he tried to make it himself.

Well, those attempts ended pretty fast.

Indeed, the simplest things sure can be the most complicated.

You know, countries are fighting over this beige food! You got to read this NY Times article! + you’ll find a few other hummus recipes and variations over there. Next, go and read this article and you’ll see, people do go nuts when it comes to Hummus.

So don’t take it lightly!

And for sanity’s sake, let’s just agree that people of the Eastern Mediterranean (Lebanon, Israel, Palestinians, Syria, Jordan) seem to like it a lot and are very attached to it.

Now, back to us.

Where was I?

My conclusion: follow your own lead, be your own person, forget about other people, leave aside world conflicts, listen to your inner voice! What does it tell you?

So what if I like my hummus with a small puddle of fruity extra virgin olive oil that adds creaminess, some chopped parsley for color and zest, a few toasted pine nuts, and sometimes a little sprinkle of paprika (but not today).You… you have the freedom to choose and do whatever you want! Exercise it!

Just make this and taste as you go, but before it becomes too smooth… That is, if you like it chunky…

I found that using organic canned chickpeas has a similar taste to home-cooked dried beans. It’s a great shortcut and in any case, it’ll taste so much better then buying a completely pre-made one.

Oh, one more thing, tahini*! Very important. There are a few brands out there. Try a few different ones and choose the one that tastes best to you. (I like Joyva. It’s an orange and brown colored can and I’ve seen it in a few grocery stores so maybe your store carries it too, or try a local Middle-eastern store.)
 

Hummus

I believe you got my point, hummus is a very individualized food. Use more/less of any ingredient. Make it the way you like it.

Makes 2 cups

1-2 garlic cloves
1 can (14-16 oz.) organic garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini
6 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
6-8 splashes of fruity extra virgin olive oil
salt
ground black pepper
for serving: drizzle olive oil, toasted pine nuts, paprika, chopped parsley, and warm pita

Place the garlic in a bowl of a food processor and pulse until it is minced. Add all the other ingredients and pulse until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste and adjust the flavors. Add some water or olive oil if it’s too thick and pulse a few times more to the desired consistency.

* tahini is a creamy puree of sesame seeds.

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A few weeks ago we went on a little family vacation just before school started. Vacations with kids, you probably know (or can imagine), are a lot of fun, but can be very tiring. To minimize energy waste, we like to get a room with a small kitchenette or at least a (mini) fridge. Why? Because as much as we like to eat out – and we do! The kids too! – it can be quite stressful to do so for a whole week, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and maybe even snacks. That is why. (See my post from last year: 11 tips for eating out (with kids) while on vacation.)

When I find a good deal on a room with a small kitchen and a dining table we eat out only once or twice a day. It saves time, money, we eat better, the kids are more relaxed, we get more fruits and vegetables in our diet, and it feels more like our family meal times at home. Warm and fuzzy. yeah, right, maybe actually more like picky and whiny. But I digress. Preparing/assembling light meals in your room is also a great excuse – as if you need one – to explore and shop at the local farmers market and stores and try new foods.

On our last trip we went shopping at a small store in the village where I found amazing goat cheeses with different flavors. I chose one with olive oil, garlic and rosemary… Need I say more?! At about the same time, I was contacted by Chavrie, the goat cheese company, with a generous giveaway offer. Talk about coincidence.

Here is what you can win:

Gourmet Fall Entertaining (estimated value $100) that includes:

*Williams-Sonoma Cherry Wood Bread Board with Dip Bowl (like the one you see in the photos)
*Cooking.com Gift Certificate for $50.00
*Dried fruits and Crystallized Ginger
*Chavrie Coupons – Free Cheese, of course!
*Chavrie recipe cards (dips, quick tips and wine suggestions)

To win, all you have to do is comment on any post starting today 9/15/09 and ending 10/5/09. (The more comments you post, the bigger your chances to win. Makes sense…). The prize will be sent to the winner directly by Chavrie. Check back after 10/5/09 to see if you have won!  Limited to the US only. Sorry.

*** 
One more thing, if you like my blog, please take a few minutes to nominate it for the Foodbuzz Blog Awards.
 ***

A platter of goat cheese

On your beautiful cheese board, put dried fruits, fresh fruits, crackers, bread, nuts, whatever you like or have in the pantry that’s good.

Serve to your guests.

More ideas here: Party Food – Appetizers

One years ago: Cool tools: Baking must-haves, Green blackberries are red, Love-ly Heirloom tomatoes salad

Goat cheese in extra virgin olive oil, garlic and rosemary marinade

1 package (about 4-6 oz.) goat cheese
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 sprig rosemary, lightly crushed to release its flavor
5-6 whole black peppercorns, or grounded
Salt, if needed, taste to see
Extra virgin olive oil, to cover the cheese

Place all the ingredients in a jar. Close with a lid. Refrigerate at least one day ahead.
Serve with toasted bread or crackers.

If you think you don’t like eggplants, think again. Or, at least, give it another try, OK?

Recipe for one eggplant:

1 large eggplant, sliced to 1 – 1 ½ – inch slices
Extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
Salt

Preheat oven broiler.
Brush the eggplant slices lightly with evoo and sprinkle with salt, on both sides. Place on baking sheet.
Broil in oven, about 7 inches away from the heat element, until browned, with some dark brown spots (It takes only a few minutes. Use a timer so you don’t burn them). Turn them up side down, and broil until browned. Remove from baking sheet to a serving platter.
While eggplant is broiling, make the marinade.

For the marinade:
2 tablespoons basil leaves
2 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons cilantro
1 small garlic clove
1 tablespoon mild vinegar (like champagne or apple cider vinegar, balsamic works too)
1-2 tablespoons parmesan, grated, optional
Salt
Black pepper, ground
3-4 tablespoon evoo

For serving, optional:
Goat cheese, or feta, crumbled
Cherry tomatoes

Put all the marinade ingredients in a food processor and process until all leaves are small chopped. Spoon over eggplant.
And, enjoy.
*If you don’t have one of the herbs that’s’ OK. Use whatever you have in your fridge or in your garden/herb pots. You can use oregano and/or thyme as well.