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.

***

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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Originally, I had nothing to say about it. Too easy to create, too quick to make, there was no opportunity to blurt a word out before it was done. But it’s beauty too astounding to ignore, I had to share. Its expected tart sweet gorgeous tang, I could not wait until Thanksgiving.

Yes, I’m talking about cranberry sauce/relish/chutney/?/whatever you call, it seems to be a side effect of Thanksgiving(?) A third player (?) to the turkey and line of multiple traditional side dishes?

Well well well, life can be unfair sometime if you’re a teeny tiny cranberry. So here I come to the rescue, bringing it closer to the center of attention.

Now, doesn’t this look better?!

You can:

Eat it for breakfast (with yogurt)

Add it to a sandwich (forget about the butter, the mayo)

Lick it as is from a spoon

Add it to ice cream

Or cake…

But by all means, don’t wait for Thanksgiving!

And above all, don’t forget about it afterwards!

Isn’t it dreamy?!

Making this relish is really an act of gathering and simmering. Simple goodness.

Now, go on, get to it. Hurry hurry. Don’t wait.

* * *

In case you missed them, check out the recipes for Pumpkin banana cream pie and Pumpkin banana creamy dreamy dessert!

More recipes for the holiday/s from one year ago: Apple, Cinnamon and Walnuts Cake, Thanksgiving-y Chicken Dinner, Holiday Food – Appetizers, Cranberry Cake, Warm Winter Herbal Tea

* * *

Cranberry-apple relish

Based on a recipe from “Wolfgang Puck Makes it Easy”
Makes about 2 cups

2 cups fresh cranberries, picked through, washed and drained
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped small
2/3 cup sugar (use as much as you like, more/less)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons (from 1  whole) lemon juice

Put all the ingredients in a (non-aluminum*) small saucepan. Mix and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until the mixture thickens, stirring from time to time. The relish will thicken a bit more when it cools.

Transfer to a non-metal container, cover, and refrigerate.

Note #1, aluminium interacts with acidic food and makes it taste yucky.

Note #2, you can add the traditional spices if you like.