I adore no-cook recipes in the summer. The radishes add a peppery bite to the smooth, garlilcky hummus. Slap some of this updated hummus on a bagel and you’re good to go.
Hummus with Basil and Radish
Adapted from Smashed Chickpea, Basil, and Radish Dip in Martha Stewart Living
8 radishes, washed and trimmed
2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, drained
1 c. loosely-packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 lemons
1 Tbsp. olive oil (or more)
salt & pepper to taste
In a food processor, pulse the radishes, chickpeas, and basil, garlic, and juice of both lemons until you have a chunky puree. Add olive oil to taste, starting with 1 tablespoon and increasing the quantity until you have the consistency of hummus you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve as a spread or dip.
Is it possible to talk about green tomatoes and not immediately think of frying them? I knew I’d be the only one to eat a fried green tomato in my house, so it hardly seemed worth the effort. I needed a different way to use up those unripe veggies, and settled on a big batch of salsa.
I diced a red pepper, two big jalapeño peppers, a small red onion, and a quart of cored green plum tomatoes, then mixed in a large handful of chopped cilantro, and added the juice of a lime plus kosher salt. Some of my green tomatoes had actually started to turn orange as they sat on my counter for a week, which added some nice color variation! J. topped some nachos with the salsa and thought it was pretty good. I liked the firm, almost crunchy texture and more herbal flavor of the green tomatoes — it made the salsa taste even fresher than one made with ripe tomatoes.
I’ve still got plenty of salsa left, and received another quart of green tomatoes from my farm share this week too. After seeing how the first batch started to ripen on their own, I’m going to try to help them along by sticking them in a brown paper bag. When J. and I have tried this in the past with tomatoes from our garden, we’ve pretty much only had success at making moldy tomatoes. I’ll try to remember to check on them more frequently this time.
My family is spoiled. J.’s grandma, GG, makes her own gefilte fish from scratch. It is delicious, and even though I rarely like fish I look forward to her gefilte on the holidays. It is truly a labor of love, both because it is time consuming and because she has to make a lot to feed us all! Because of that effort, it just seems wrong to put jarred horseradish on top of something so lovingly homemade. So although J.’s grandpa Poppy, the originator of the family horseradish recipe, is no longer with us to celebrate and make his horseradish himself, his recipe lives on. Lauren has made it for Rosh Hashanah and Passover for several years, and I was lucky enough to have her teach me the method this time around. Even if your family doesn’t eat gefilte fish, prepared horseradish is great with roast beef, in dips, andmore.
I was warned that the fumes coming off the grated horseradish root are even more potent than a strong onion, but I felt it was just barely more manageable than that. Still, I had to walk away from the recipe more than a few times, just to clear my eyes and be able to see what I was doing! (Every time I opened the food processor, a fresh wave of blinding fumes hit me.) Lauren’s expression cracked me up when I did this — she smiled a little knowingly, indulgently, and then moved to take over whatever step we were in the middle of while I lunged for fresh air. Clearly, she is a seasoned pro! You’ll want to heed the instructions she included on the recipe: “Windows open and door open — you’ll appreciate it!” A fan might be nice, too.
Poppy’s Horseradish Makes 4-5 cups of prepared horseradish, which in our family is enough for two nights of about 12+ adults each night eating liberal amounts with their gefilte fish, plus a little left over
2 large horseradish roots (about 1.5 lbs.)
1 15-oz. can sliced beets, drained + reserve liquid
3/4 – 1 c. red wine vinegar (other vinegar is fine)
3/4 – 1 c. granulated sugar
2 – 4 tsp. salt (to taste)
Trim and peel the horseradish root, then cut into large chunks that will fit into your food processor. Using the shredder/grating blade, process all of the horseradish root and the drained beets, then remove to a large bowl. (Poppy’s original recipe has you put the shredded horseradish through the food processor again so it is double-shredded, but I don’t think this is necessary.)
Starting with the smaller quantities suggested, add vinegar, sugar, and salt to the horseradish and beets. Mix well. Change out the shredder in your food processor for the chopping blade. Add the contents of the bowl back into the food processor, and pulse until pureed. If needed, add some of the reserved beet juice back into the mix if it is too thick — this will also make it a deeper purple color.
Once horseradish has reached the consistency you want, taste it and adjust the vinegar, sugar, and salt — just a tiny taste does the trick. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container (Horseradish.org says for up to 4-6 months!). The strength of the horseradish will diminish as it ages. (more…)
This is a quickie dip, all whirred up in a food processor. Combine a 15.5-oz. can of white beans (rinsed and drained), a large clove of garlic, the juice and zest of a lemon (reserve a little zest for garnish), salt, pepper, and enough olive oil to bring the dip to the consistency you want — just a a tablespoon or so. Puree until smooth. Serve with pita, pretzels, crudite, or just use your finger (I won’t tell).
We had our families over for a July 4th barbecue this weekend, and I made up this dip to serve before hand with chips and pretzels. I wanted to use the green onions, parsley, and cilantro from my farm share; the cilantro always reminds me of guacamole so the lime and jalapeno seemed like natural additions here, too. Next time I’d add an extra jalapeno.
My mom said this was the best dip she ever ate in her life. (Really, I think she was just excited about the potato chips!) It’s very fresh and cool tasting, and was a perfect beginning to our traditional cook out. I’d make it again to bring to a party.
Lime & Herb Dip
2 c. sour cream
1 lime, zested and juiced
4 green onions, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (or more)
1 large handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 large handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt (or more to taste)
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well. Allow to chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two boys, ages 5 and 7, and husband. Trying to feed my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, or reach me at .
Want to Try
Sweet Potato and Gruyère Turnovers: These easy pockets (using pre-made, refrigerated dough) sound delicious to me, and even include swiss chard -- something I always seem to have in my fridge from our CSA.
Cook to This
"Kids" by MGMT. Truly bizarre video, but a song that always perks my ears up when I hear it on the radio. They're a 21st century update of synth-pop bands I loved in the late 80s/early 90s (hello, New Order).
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two boys, ages 5 and 7, and husband. Trying to feed my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 