hummus

Hummus and pesto are two very popular, very tasty foods that are easily found in most larger grocery stores. But they are also quite easy to make at home. (File photo)

A recent worldwide story surfaced earlier this week about a recall of hummus because of some health concerns and that got me to thinking.

That got me to thinking, not about recalls or health concerns or anything nearly as important as that. If you are familiar with my mindset you probably know already that I'm not given to lofty thought or coming with ideas to save the world.

But it did get me to thinking about stuff like hummus and other very popular and very tasty food items that we enjoy daily, but rarely do we take to time to make them at home for ourselves. Most of us would rather let somebody else do all the work of mixing, chopping and blending.

Let's face it, it is just too easy to pick up a container of something or other at the grocery store than make it ourselves. That's a pity and that's just wrong.

So, I decided to take this opportunity to offer a couple of ideas for favorite food items that we routinely rely on others to make, but that are shamefully easy to prepare at home.

First, let's take a look at hummus.

I confess that I am late to the hummus party. Hummus is a traditional Middle Eastern food that is either eaten as a spread of as a dip that has become wildly popular in the past 20 years or so.

I liked it the first time I tried it, probably at a chic party back in the day when I was still trying to get over my fixation with mayonnaise as the best condiment in the world. In reality, hummus is nothing more than ground up chickpeas, garlic, lemon, olive oil and something called tahini. (Tahini is a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds and is common in Middle Eastern cooking. You can find it at most larger grocery stores.)

Here is a recipe from one of the best food sources in the world, Mark Bittman who is the author of a line of books titled "How to Cook Everything."

Hummus

6-10 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas, cooking liquid reserved if possible

1/2 cup tahini, with some of its oil if you like

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus oil for garnish

2 cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste

Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin or paprika, or to taste, plus a sprinkling for garnish

Chopped fresh parsley leaves (garnish)

Instructions:

Put the chickpeas, tahini, oil, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor (or a blender for even smoother hummus), sprinkle with salt and pepper, and begin to process; add chickpea-cooking liquid or water as needed to produce a smooth puree.

Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. Serve, drizzled with some olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of cumin or paprika and some parsley.

Next, let's talk about pesto.

Pesto is another of those things that we buy at the store rather than make at home because it sounds hard to make but in reality is embarrassingly simple.

It is a classic sauce that can be mixed with fresh pasta for a quick lunch, as a spread with crackers or even as a topper for baked potatoes. I found this recipe on the internet, but most all of them are similar.

Fresh Basil Pesto

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (can sub half the basil leaves with baby spinach)

1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese (about 2 ounces)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

3 garlic cloves, minced (about 3 teaspoons)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Place the basil leaves and pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a several times. Add the garlic and Parmesan or Romano cheese and pulse several times more. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.

While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady small stream. Adding the olive oil slowly, while the processor is running, will help it emulsify and help keep the olive oil from separating. Occasionally stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.

Stir in some salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Toss with pasta for a quick sauce, dollop over baked potatoes, or spread onto crackers or toasted slices of bread.