On Feb 21, 2:06 pm, "James Silverton" >
wrote:
> Felice wrote on Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:57:21 -0500:
>
> > 2 cups chickpeas (dried and cooked until soft)
> > 1/2 cup well-stirred Al Wahdi tahini, from Lebanon
> > 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
> > 2 good-sized garlic cloves
> > juice of 1 lemon
> > a bunch of salt and some white pepper
> > I added quite a but of olive oil to keep it moving in the
> > processor (it wouldn't budge in the blender, and was THAT a
> > nasty job scraping it out and transferring it). I've seen a
> > number of other suggestions -- lemon zest, chili powder,
> > cumin, paprika -- but decided to go basic the first time around.
> > Middle Eastern is not my forte.
> > So can anyone help me jazz it up a bit?
>
> Using lime juice ( a Mexican idea) instead of lemon produces a superior
> result, IMHO, and a little cumin, as suggested, is good. I'd sprinkle
> chili pepper or hot paprika on top. A few drops of toasted sesame oil
> works wonders. Fresh cilantro is also good unless you are in the
> significant minority who are genetically programmed to dislike it.
>
> --
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Well, James said most of what I was going to say. Your recipe looks
good. Can't have too much garlic. I usually just use canned and
don't use a processor. If you don't have a mortar, the olive oil
bottle in a mixing bowl works pretty well. A little rougher texture
that, at least for me, is better. And cliantro, and/or mint.

B