So after deciding it was too pricey at Rainbow Blossom, I went to the
Kroger. Scanned the "ethnic aisle". (I didn't realized there was a
British section, and German section there till then.) Anyway, no luck. And
nothing in Health Food area that I could find.... So asked stocker, and he
said "aisle tin". So I went to aisle ten which was the ethnic section where
I had just been. The stocker happened by again and I said I was in this
aisle before and didn't find any. He smiled and said "you want me to do
everything" I thought that was a bit rude, but he did show me a couple
places with the long sought thin. As he showed me, he said "when people see
the price they usually walk away." (Not a great salesman, that one.) So I
looked at both and they were a bit high, 8.99 for Peloponnese and 6.47 for
Joyva. I opted for the cheaper since not sure either's rep. And they are
15 servings so that's not really that expensive per serving.

Got home and realized I forgot the garlic. Is fresh that much better than
roasted in a jar?

Also, when I open the tin can of tahini, about how long will it keep? Maybe
I can/should freeze 1/2?

Oh, another neophyte question. What's the difference between extra light,
light and pure olive oil? They all had the same nutrition label info, even
down to sodium amount. I assume the lighter tastes less olivey?

Somebody wrote:

Got home and realized I forgot the garlic. Is fresh that much better than
roasted in a jar?

Always, imo.
And that goes for any food product. Fresh is best.

G.

"Gary" wrote in message ...
Somebody wrote:

Got home and realized I forgot the garlic. Is fresh that much better
than
roasted in a jar?

Always, imo.
And that goes for any food product. Fresh is best.

G.


what about roasted? Do roast yourself, or just never use roasted? Such as
roasted red peppers, or roasted garlic. Those are my two favorites for
hummus.

On Sun, 24 Jun 2012 11:32:15 -0400, "Somebody"
wrote:

what about roasted? Do roast yourself, or just never use roasted? Such as
roasted red peppers, or roasted garlic. Those are my two favorites for
hummus.

I've never used jarred garlic, so I can't help you there - but it's
really easy to roast garlic. Just drizzle it with a little olive oil,
wrap it in foil and roast it until soft. It's better to throw it into
the oven when you're roasting something else, like a piece of meat,
but I've been known to turn on the oven just to for a head of garlic.
In your position, I'd just go with roasted garlic in a jar because
that hummus has already been more trouble and cost you more time &
money (gas, time spent looking for the danged tahini etc) than I'd be
willing to put into it.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

Gary wrote:

And that goes for any food product. Fresh is best.

Hah. Try making French Toast with fresh bread.

"George M. Middius" wrote:

Gary wrote:

And that goes for any food product. Fresh is best.

Hah. Try making French Toast with fresh bread.

Try making French Fries with stale French bread.

G.

George Moroon Middius wrote:
Gary wrote:

And that goes for any food product. Fresh is best.

Hah. Try making French Toast with fresh bread.

So besides being a moroon you're also a klutz.

On 24/06/2012 11:04 AM, Somebody wrote:
So after deciding it was too pricey at Rainbow Blossom, I went to the
Kroger. Scanned the "ethnic aisle". (I didn't realized there was a
British section, and German section there till then.) Anyway, no luck. And
nothing in Health Food area that I could find.... So asked stocker, and he
said "aisle tin". So I went to aisle ten which was the ethnic section where
I had just been. The stocker happened by again and I said I was in this
aisle before and didn't find any. He smiled and said "you want me to do
everything" I thought that was a bit rude, but he did show me a couple
places with the long sought thin. As he showed me, he said "when people see
the price they usually walk away." (Not a great salesman, that one.) So I
looked at both and they were a bit high, 8.99 for Peloponnese and 6.47 for
Joyva. I opted for the cheaper since not sure either's rep. And they are
15 servings so that's not really that expensive per serving.

I have had trouble finding tahini around here. There is a discount
grocery store near me that has a multi ethnic area where they stock it.

Got home and realized I forgot the garlic. Is fresh that much better than
roasted in a jar?

Yes. You want the garlic to have a sharp flavour to it.


Oh, another neophyte question. What's the difference between extra light,
light and pure olive oil? They all had the same nutrition label info, even
down to sodium amount. I assume the lighter tastes less olivey?

You want something with some flavour to it, not just bland oil.
Otherwise you would be able to use any vegetable oil.

On Sun, 24 Jun 2012 13:31:27 -0400, Dave Smith
wrote:

On 24/06/2012 11:04 AM, Somebody wrote:
So after deciding it was too pricey at Rainbow Blossom, I went to the
Kroger. Scanned the "ethnic aisle". (I didn't realized there was a
British section, and German section there till then.) Anyway, no luck. And
nothing in Health Food area that I could find.... So asked stocker, and he
said "aisle tin". So I went to aisle ten which was the ethnic section where
I had just been. The stocker happened by again and I said I was in this
aisle before and didn't find any. He smiled and said "you want me to do
everything" I thought that was a bit rude, but he did show me a couple
places with the long sought thin. As he showed me, he said "when people see
the price they usually walk away." (Not a great salesman, that one.) So I
looked at both and they were a bit high, 8.99 for Peloponnese and 6.47 for
Joyva. I opted for the cheaper since not sure either's rep. And they are
15 servings so that's not really that expensive per serving.

I have had trouble finding tahini around here.

Ahahahahahaha. . . . pick, choose, and refuse:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...ni%2Caps%2C700

Somebody wrote:

So after deciding it was too pricey at Rainbow Blossom, I went to the
Kroger. Scanned the "ethnic aisle". (I didn't realized there was a
British section, and German section there till then.) Anyway, no luck. And
nothing in Health Food area that I could find.... So asked stocker, and he
said "aisle tin". So I went to aisle ten which was the ethnic section where
I had just been. The stocker happened by again and I said I was in this
aisle before and didn't find any. He smiled and said "you want me to do
everything" I thought that was a bit rude, but he did show me a couple
places with the long sought thin. As he showed me, he said "when people see
the price they usually walk away." (Not a great salesman, that one.) So I
looked at both and they were a bit high, 8.99 for Peloponnese and 6.47 for
Joyva. I opted for the cheaper since not sure either's rep. And they are
15 servings so that's not really that expensive per serving.

Tahini is from the middle easst. If you were looking in among the
Germen and British foods he would have thought you were being
deliberately dense. As happens so often when the word rude is applied
it doesn't fit here.

Got home and realized I forgot the garlic. Is fresh that much better than
roasted in a jar?

Depending on the use, usually yes.

Also, when I open the tin can of tahini, about how long will it keep? Maybe
I can/should freeze 1/2?

Tahini is sesame seed paste. It should come in a screw top glass jar
not a metal tin. In a glass jar it can be treated like peanut butter
lasting a year or more. Out of a metal can I'd want to transfer the
unused portion into a glass jar. I would not want to keep seed paste in
an opened metal can.

Oh, another neophyte question. What's the difference between extra light,
light and pure olive oil? They all had the same nutrition label info, even
down to sodium amount. I assume the lighter tastes less olivey?

The lighter the formulation the less the olive flavor. Yes. It's how
the oils are made. How many pressings, whether heat was applied during
the pressing, whether chemicals were applied during the pressing. Each
step there is less flavor.

Somebody wrote:
Got home and realized I forgot the garlic. Is fresh that much better
than roasted in a jar?

There are other alternatives. We buy Dorot brand frozen garlic (and
frozen basil and other herbs as well). It's very convenient, we think
it tastes great, and we use it more because it's so easy. They carry it
in every grocery store in our town except Whole Foods.

-S-

Shelley's hormones are raging again.

And that goes for any food product. Fresh is best.

Hah. Try making French Toast with fresh bread.

So besides being a moroon[sic] you're also a klutz.

Don't you take away anything from your therapy sessions?

On Jun 24, 11:04*am, "Somebody" wrote:

On Jun 24, 11:05 am, "Somebody" wrote:

Oh, another neophyte question. What's the difference between extra light,
light and pure olive oil? They all had the same nutrition label info, even
down to sodium amount. I assume the lighter tastes less olivey?



Pouring some regular 'extra virgin olive oil' on top of the hummus,
just a bit of it, is nice - but I personally do not like using it or
anything other than the 5 main ingredients used to make basic hummus -
beans, tahini, garlic, lemon, and salt. Anything else such as cayenne
pepper for example can be added later. But to each their own. Do the
basic first and then wing it from there if you choose. I prefer the
basic anyway, but with a bit of cayenne and sometimes a bit of EVOO
sprinkled on top.

TJ

On Jun 24, 11:05 am, "Somebody" wrote:
So after deciding it was too pricey at Rainbow Blossom, I went to the
Kroger. Scanned the "ethnic aisle". (I didn't realized there was a British
section, and German section there till then.) Anyway, no luck. And nothing
in Health Food area that I could find.... So asked stocker, and he said
"aisle tin". So I went to aisle ten which was the ethnic section where I had
just been. The stocker happened by again and I said I was in this aisle
before and didn't find any. He smiled and said "you want me to do
everything" I thought that was a bit rude, but he did show me a couple
places with the long sought thin. As he showed me, he said "when people see
the price they usually walk away." (Not a great salesman, that one.) So I
looked at both and they were a bit high, 8.99 for Peloponnese and 6.47 for
Joyva. I opted for the cheaper since not sure either's rep. And they are 15
servings so that's not really that expensive per serving.

Got home and realized I forgot the garlic. Is fresh that much better than
roasted in a jar?

Also, when I open the tin can of tahini, about how long will it keep? Maybe
I can/should freeze 1/2?

Oh, another neophyte question. What's the difference between extra light,
light and pure olive oil? They all had the same nutrition label info, even
down to sodium amount. I assume the lighter tastes less olivey?


Not being sarcastic, but you really ought to take these questions
to the food group. Ok, I see your post here too.

I would use fresh garlic, lots of it - a matter of taste. I
would also look up a recipe by pumping "hummus recipe" into the google
bar in the group and maybe it'll take you to some past recipes. I
would not copy the recipes to the letter, just look at them to get an
idea of the ratio of this food to that. I use nearly a full bulb of
garlic to 4 heaping tablespoons of hummus. I put the garlic in a bowl
and smash it up with the stick (mortar and pestle) till it turns to
butter, about 150 turns, but worth it. I also know it can be done by
blender and in fact is done that way most often as my way is the old
fashioned way and I haven't used it in a long time. You make the
garlic butter, then heap on the tahini (gotta stir it up pretty good,
a chore, and if the bottle is long and thin you're going to need a
longer spoon). I'm sure if you look up the recipes you'll get a bunch
of them. My advice is to ignore the elaborate ones. I grew up on
hummus. My grandparents and their relatives were all good cooks. So
I'm telling you these are the ingredients - the basic ones - and there
is no need the first time out to try to go beyond.

Some people prefer more tahini to beans. I prefer slightly more
beans, a thicker mix. Sometimes I'll buy the Whole Foods brand which
is not bad but not as thick as I like, and I'll soften up a small can
of garbonzos on low hear for half an hour and rinse them off then mash
them up and add either some or all of them to the Whole Foods
mixture. If it gets too thick, add cold water or a bit more lemon.

Two cans 14 and 1/2 oz or thereabout garbonzo beans
4 heaping tablespoons tahini
1 or 2 lemons
A bulb or so of garlic depending on taste
Salt

Now, once the hummus is made you can sprinkle the top with cayenne
pepper if you wish. In the future you can try other ways, but the way
I'm telling you is the most basic. I have never used the blender but
would like to. The mortar and pestle method is a pain in the ass. I
do know that most people I know who make hummus do like to take the
beans and rinse them really good till there is no more scum coming
from the can. Pour the beans in a bowl and continue rinsing till
clear. Then put the beans in a pot and bring to a boil, then lower
and let simmer for half an hour. They are already cooked, but this
softens them up for mashing.

Once you make the garlic/tahini/lemon mix it is time to take the beans
and mash them with a masher, then mash them even finer with a fork.
They will be soft and easy to mix. Then you mix the beans with the
other mixture and whip it together. It will taste lots better after
it's been in the fridge a while. I advise asking the food group
people for help on this but remembering to ignore the ones that get
too elaborate and go too far beyond the 5 ingredients I have
mentioned.

If you use the blender you can do everything at one time, no need for
the heavy chore of the mortar and pestle. Unfortunately I have never
used a blender to make hummus and cannot help you in that regard as I
don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.

Using the old method (which I do not necessarily recommend, although
it does produce some good tasting stuff), I cut up the garlic into
pieces and pour some salt over them. The salt helps make it easier to
crush with the stick. You keep mashing the garlic while rotating the
bowl and working the stick around the edges till the garlic turns to
butter.

Then add the tahini and stir with a spoon. As you stir you will
notice it turns clumpy and hard to churn. That is when you add some
lemon. You will find the lemon softens it up and makes it more
creamy. Add more lemon and it will become creamier still. If you
don't want more lemon but want the mix a bit creamier, add cold water,
but just a bit at a time. When the mix is thin and creamy where you
can stir it with a fork and it's the consistency of wheatena or some
other hot cereal (even though it's cold), that's the texture you
want. When you add the beans to the mix it will thicken up.

Take the warmed beans and put them in cold water just a bit and drain,
then mash with a masher. Then put the beans on a large plate, a bit
at a time if necessary and work them from one end to the other with
the tines of a fork till they are ultra smooth. Then take the bean
mix and pour the tahini mix over it in a bowl and whip it together and
there it is. Or, if you're too lazy (nothing wrong with that), go to
Whole Foods and get their house brand, which is not a bad one. Do not
get just any brand at Whole Foods - they have lousy ones too - it has
to be their house brand. It's not as good as homemade but it's the
closest I've seen yet to the real thing.

TJ

On Jun 24, 11:05 am, "Somebody" wrote:

Oh, another neophyte question. What's the difference between extra light,
light and pure olive oil? They all had the same nutrition label info, even
down to sodium amount. I assume the lighter tastes less olivey?



Pouring some regular 'extra virgin olive oil' on top of the hummus,
just a bit of it, is nice - but I personally do not like using it or
anything other than the 5 main ingredients used to make basic hummus -
beans, tahini, garlic, lemon, and salt. Anything else such as cayenne
pepper for example can be added later. But to each their own. Do the
basic first and then wing it from there if you choose. I prefer the
basic anyway, but with a bit of cayenne and sometimes a bit of EVOO
sprinkled on top.

TJ