Flavors of Egypt

It has been a while since my last post. Partly because of work and mostly because I was off on a lovely but short trip to Egypt. This was one of my dream destinations. I have longed to go there for so long that when the opportunity popped up (in the form a business trip for hubby) I just HAD to tag along with him (even if it was only for four and a half days). I must confess every single minute of that few days was totally worth it. Whatever I have imagined about the Pyramids and all those magnificent temples and tombs of the Ancient Egyptians, the reality was far far far more mind-blowing. You can't help but stare with awe at the great structures that have been standing tall for the past 4000 years and the fantastic craftsmanship of the people of Ancient Egypt. These guys define the term megastructures. When I saw the treasures of King Tut I could not help but wonder if tomb of a small minor king with hardly a decade of reign could yield such treasures of such finery and exquisite details, then what might have been in the tombs of the great Egyptian kings. Promise to post a few pictures of the trip and you can be sure there will be a few more ramblings of the splendors and experiences of Egypt in the coming few posts.

I thought I'd have an Egyptian theme fore the next few days and share some recipes of dishes that I tried in Egypt. Today I share a very common mezze dish for you, Hummus. It is a very versatile dish and you can have a hundred variations of it. It is a great appetizer.

Hummus
Serves 4

Chick Peas also known as Garbanzo Beans (canned or boiled) - 1 cup (drained if using canned)
Olive Oil (I prefer Extra Virgin) - 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon
Lemon Juice - 1/2 tablespoon
Oregano - 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Paprika - 1/2 teaspoon

Put the chickpeas, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice and oregano into a food processor and blend until you get a thick smooth puree. Adjust seasoning
Serve on a plate sprinkle the paprika and drizzle the remaining olive oil on top.
Serve with Pita bread (or naan)or chips or cucumber/carrot/celery/bread sticks etc.

Enjoy!!!

Variation: There are endless ways you can make variations to the basic Hummus recipe. Here are some suggested variations-

1. Roasted Garlic Hummus: Roast 1 clove of garlic (coat the unpeeled garlic with olive oil and bake until the garlic is nice, soft and smells a bit toasty) and add it to the ingredients when you make the puree.

2. Olive Hummus: Finely chop 6 olives (green or black) and mix it with the prepared hummus before serving. Add 1/4 teaspoon cumin and increase the amount of lemon juice to 2 tablespoonswhile making the puree.

Note: If you are going to use boiled chickpeas, then soak the chickpeas overnight before boiling them. If you use a pressure cooker, the boiling time will be greatly reduced.