White Bean Hummus

Hi there!  Welcome to "The Illusion of Sophistication," the blog about food that tastes like it was harder to make than it really was.

Today, we're making hummus, using Great Northern beans instead of garbanzo beans.  Why?  Because I didn't check my pantry before I went to the grocery, that's why.  

Here's what you'll need:

Great Northern beans, tahini, sesame seeds, ground coriander seed, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cumin, a lemon, three cloves of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, my pepper mill, and Himalayan Pink salt.  In the background, my trusty Cuisinart food processor, and a citrus press.

You'll want to rinse and drain the beans.  It's an extra step, but worth the effort for the flavor.

I've added about a third of a cup of tahini, which is a sesame paste.  Make sure you stir it well before spooning it out.

A quarter teaspoon of these things.  I'm not usually a stickler on measurement, but these are potent spices, and overkill will reduce enjoyment.

I actually go about an eighth of a teaspoon with the cayenne pepper.  That raw garlic will have a bite, too, so keep that in mind.

I use a zesting tool to get fresh lemon peel into the bowl.  A cheese grater will work.  This brightens the flavor.  Add the juice of the lemon, as well.  This will help the hummus to keep its color, and also helps to brighten the flavor.

Everything added, ready to hit the power.

While the processor is running, I'm going to grind in pepper and salt, and add olive oil until the texture looks silky-smooth.

Plated with pita for dipping.

Olive Tapenade

Hi there!  Welcome to "The Illusion of Sophistication," the blog about food that tastes like it was harder to make than it really was.

Today, I've made an olive tapenade.  Here's what I started with:

That's green olives, calamata olives, capers, extra virgin olive oil, a clove of garlic, and my pepper mill. Aging Cuisinart food processor in the background is ready for work.

I bought the jar of olives for convenience, but I really don't want pimentos in my tapenade, so I squished them out, just like, well, stuff you squished when you were a teenager.  You know, like the little mushy thing at the end of a banana.  Eight to ten green olives, adds a little bit of color and saltiness to the finished product.

You'll want to carefully measure the capers.  I've used a precision measuring device to add about a tablespoon and a half.

I'm going to add olive oil once I get the food processor running.  I want to see a pebbly texture that blends smoothly.  I added between two and four tablespoons of olive oil, watching until the blend pattern went from bouncing in the bowl to holding a steady vortex.

Plated with diagonally-cut whole-grain french baguette.