To Buy Or Not To Buy - HUMMUS

        Versitile and healthy, a dip and a spread, I can always find ways to use up any hummus I have knocking around my fridge. But is it really worth going to the effort of making your own hummus. For me it's the total opposite of Marmite, I neither love nor hate it. The only time I have ever really been wowed by a hummus was in my favourite Turkish eatery 'Troy', on City rd. They import, I've been reliably informed, white chickpeas from Turkey. It completely blows away any shop bought or even deli counter competitor.
        Still , after hand peeling roughly 130 chickpeas this evening, I feel a little more justified than I did 3 hours ago to comment on task v taste. I am aware that at least some of you have instantly lost all interest in anything other than 'she peeled them???' I did indeed. This was down to watching the human teddy bear, that is Simon Hopkinson recently, who insisted peeling is perfection as far as hummus goes,.This notion was like fly paper to me and I knew there was only one way to free myself.
        Looking at the mound of tini tiny balls in my sieve, I certainly wasn't excited by the task ahead. Heroically I dived in. I could see nothing but beige and my mind wandered away. They were far easier to peel than I imagined and with a quick grab and pinch, I settled into the task, hips swaying side to side as the pile of skins slowly grew larger and the end was in site. The purpose of this is to create a hummus with a smoother texture.
        To be fair, if I hadn't peeled the chickpeas this recipe would hardly of involved any effort at all. It called for jarred chickpeas and you really need to buy the best you can get your hands on. There are very few ingredients and the better they are the more flavour the hummus will have. Pick up a posh jar of chickpeas the next time you pop into a deli somewhere, perhaps a good tahini too.
        Drain the chickpeas and reserve their liquid. Weigh out 230g of chickpeas and get peeling. I would suggest singing Queens 'don't stop me now'. Place the chickpeas in a food processor with 1/2 tsp of ground cumin, some of the oil from the top of the tahini jar, 75g of the brown tahini paste, 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice and one clove of garlic crushed to a paste. Roughly chop the garlic clove then add 1 tsp of coarse sea salt, carefully use the side of a wide knife to squash the garlic, place your finger on one side of the blade and rub over the garlic. Whizz all the ingredients. Mine was to dry and this is when I added some of the chickpea juice, a little at a time until I had the correct consistency. Be cautious as you can always add more but you can't take it out if its to runny.
        To serve, spoon the hummus into your dish of choice. With a spoon swirl around the middle of the hummus, creating a wall around the edge (see about picture), drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with some cayenne pepper.
       So, to peel or not to peel? The hummus was beautifully smooth and a real treat. I would definitely go through the effort whenever I had the time. There may have been alot of them but they were very easy to peel and it didn't take to long.  More so the flavour and texture of homemade hummus is far more pleasurable than those plastic tubs from the supermarkets. There's only one thing for it. I will have to make it again with the skins on.  If it still tastes much better I may never buy ready made again
       

Homemade flatbreads to feel smug about

Once I had got it into my head to attempt making my own flatbreads for Fridays BBQ, I just couldn't wait. I didn't need to buy any ingredients, they were all things I had at home and having marinated the meat the previous evening, no shopping trip was required............or so I thought. What I had neglected to get were some back up wraps. Suddenly my attempt at naan breads flashed before me. The 2 inch thick house bricks. Oh dear. A sinking feeling filled my soul just as all shops were closing. I took a deep breath and concentrated on how the dough I had already mixed and kneaded felt right. Wait I had nothing to compare it to. I shook the last thought from my head. If  they didn't go well we were just having some meat and dip. OK stop lets think positively. Right well no pressure then.

I had started the dough by placing 500g of plain flour, 1tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and 1tsp of fast action yeast into a bowl and mixed well. Then I heated 100ml of full fat milk until lukewarm then added 150ml of natural yoghurt and 50g of melted butter. I slowly added the warm milk mixture to the flour and mixed until it all came together. The recipe said to add an extra slash of milk if needed, but as yoghurt proved difficult to measure and I probably added a little extra, I didn't need the milk. I kneaded the dough for about five minutes until springy. Then leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour.

The dough will make about 8 breads depending on the size of each. Divide the dough into balls, cover and leave for another 15 minutes. Meanwhile heat a moderate grill and a large baking tray. Roll each ball into a rough teardrop shape. Place on the baking tray and sprinkle with sesame seeds. As this was my first attempt I discovered something the recipe didn't mention. Roll them as thin as you dare. My first 2, as they fit 2 at a time on the tray, were a tad thick. In fact not even a cm. The next 2 were a bit thinner and it was hit and miss whether I could get them to the baking tray but the dough is really stretchy and they made it in one piece. They roughly took about 10 minutes under the grill but don't take my word for it and keep an eye on them.

They were so much fresher and more satisfying than shop bought and I really hope this recipe doesn't come across as complicated in any way, as it was practically 'wally proof', which I found very handy indeed.

I served them with the Lamb Souvlaki from my previous post,  however they are perfect for any meats, or dips OR ANYTHING! I am a fan if you hadn't guessed. I plan to make them again and again until I am quite the expert. A great staple recipe and I am a little smug.

Thank you John Torode for this one. What a guy

LAMB SOUVLAKI

Here's one for the BBQ

Easy! If you can, start marinating the day before for ultimate flavour.

Tenderise 4 x juicy lamb rump steaks in 1 tbsp of salt, thyme leaves from 2 sprigs and the juice from 2 lemons and leave it for a couple of hours. I used a freezer bag for this.

Next put-
250ml of natural yogurt
2 deseeded red chillies
2 cloves of garlic
1tbsp cinnamon
Half tsp each of ground cloves, turmeric and cardamom
And a small bunch coriander leaves into a food processor, season and whizz to a paste.

Place the lamb in a dish and pour over the marinade. Get your hands in and make sure it's well covered and chill overnight. 4 hours minimum in a total BBQ emergency.

That's it!

Get your BBQ nice and hot and as soon as the coals are white sear it on the hottest bit then move to a slightly cooler part to cook. Timing will depend on the thickness of the steaks. its hard to get chunky ones in the supermarkets so try your butcher. Ideally I would say just pink in the middle but that's your call. Rest the lamb before cutting.

Serve with flatbreads, hummus, tzatziki and some pickled chillies or whatever takes your fancy. Cooking this again Friday and attempting my own flatbreads so check back for the recipe (if it works).

YUMMERS