Catch the Spoon

Hummus! When I alluded to it in the pita bread recipe I posted a short time ago, my intention was to post the accompanying hummus recipe as an immediate follow-up. Meatloaf and toaster pastries somehow snuck their way in before the hummus settled in to the “you should post this now” section of my head. Ah, well.

There’s not much to say about homemade hummus other than to note that it kicks the ass of anything you can buy in a supermarket. It’s completely worth the time and effort that goes into it, although you can lessen that a bit if you buy your tahini paste (if that’s the case, omit the sesame seeds, sesame oil, salt, and water and substitute 2-3 tbsp of the paste).

Hummus

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp sesame seed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1-2 teaspoons hot water
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Special equipment:

• Mortar and pestle
• Food processor

Process sesame seeds and salt with mortar and pestle until seeds begin to break down. Add sesame oil and hot water as needed and continue to process until the mixture is smooth and thick. This is your tahini paste.

Place tahini, chickpeas, cumin, garlic, and olive oil in food processor and pulse until smooth. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Move to bowl; cover and refrigerate for one hour to allow flavors to blend. Serve with pita, crackers, veggies, or a spoon.

I can only imagine that my use of ketchup in this recipe might offend (or at the very least confuse) anyone not accustomed to the vinegar-laden dishes of the Pennsylvania Dutch. I’ll even state for the record that I put ketchup on my eggs, on my toast, and even put it on steak when I was young (sorry, Dad.) I’ve had some great meatloaf in my time — my mother-out-law’s is killer — but this dish of ketchup-laden decadence will always be my favorite. How can you top the gooey tomatoey brown sugar topping?

Meatloaf

For meatloaf:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 cup tomato ketchup
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

For topping:

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup

Combine all meatloaf ingredients in large bowl and toss with fingers until well-combined. Press mixture into standard loaf pan and bake at 350° F for one hour.

Place brown sugar in small bowl and break apart any lumps. Add ketchup and stir briskly with fork until mixture is thick and homogenous. About halfway though cooking, spread topping on top of meatloaf.

Serves 6-8.