Hummus

4 cups chick peas (2 1/2 cans), drained
1/2 cup tahini
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
2 lemon juice (start with 1 lemon and add additional to taste), or 3
4 or more garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
pepper, to taste




1. Put in garlic in a bowl of food processor and process until chopped.


2. Combine chick-peas, tahini, warm water, olive oil and juice of 1 lemon in the bowl of the food processor. Process until smooth and creamy, pausing once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.


3. Add garlic, ground cumin seed, salt and pepper. Process to blend. Add more lemon juice to taste.



Source: Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins

Baked Shrimp with Spinach and Feta

1 1/2 pounds spinach, washed well (I use baby spinach)
1/2 cup shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons kalamata olives, chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup feta cheese (about 6 ounces), crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 pounds large shrimp






1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil a 13 by 9 inch baking dish.



2. In a large saucepan cook spinach with water clinging to its leaves, covered, over moderate heat 1 minute, or until wilted, and drain well. Squeeze spinach to remove most of water and chop coarsely. In a skillet cook shallot in oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and stir in spinach, olives, oregano, feta, and lemon juice, combining well. spread shrimp in prepared dish and top with spinach mixture. Shrimp and topping may be made up to this point, 2 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Bake shrimp in middle of oven 8 to 10 minutes, or until just cooked through.






Servings: 6 (no extra)
Preparation Time: 1 hour



Source: Gourmet Weekend

Spicy Cold Cucumber Soup with Yogurt

3 medium cucumbers, 1 1/2 pounds
2 jalapeno chile peppers, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped and crushed to a paste
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, whole, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups yogurt, 1 tablespoon reserved
1 cup cold water, to 1 1/2 cups
chopped chives


1. Peel the cucumbers, slice them lengthwise, and remove the seeds with a spoon. Chop the cucumbers by hand or in a food processor using the pulse mechanism. They should be finely chopped, but don't overdo it and puree them.

2. Combine the chopped cucumbers, chiles, onion, and garlic in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the cilantro leaves with the olive oil and chop them finely; you should end up with about 2 tablespoons. Add the chopped leaves to the soup along with the salt and yogurt. Stir the soup throughly. Thin the soup with the cold water until it has the desired consistency.

3. Chill the soup for at least an hour and serve it in cold bowls. Dollop the reserved yogurt on each serving. Sprinkle the yogurt with chives.

Note: I like to saute shrimp in some olive oil (1 to 2 tablespoons) and cumin (about 2 teaspoons) to add to the soup as a garnish. I usually do 3 or 4 shrimp for each serving.

Servings: 6

Source: Splendid Soups, James Peterson