Here are some of my favorite food staples. Some of them I buy but most of them I make regularly.
Hummus – I make a batch almost every week. I start with dried chickpeas that I cook in a pressure cooker. At first I experimented with additional ingredients and flavors but then realized Hummus is a little like Bread in that it needs a bit of neutrality. I do, however, sometimes sprinkle a little Gomashio on hummus.
Gomashio – I dry-roast a mix of light and dark sesame seeds in a deep pan and then use mortar and pestle to grind it up with sea salt flakes. It’s prefect for so many dishes… I am even contemplating making an ice-cream flavor based on Gomashio.
Pesto – how I love pesto! I make this all the time, also, but I don’t stick to a strict recipe. We have three kinds of basil growing in the yard: Genovese basil, Thai basil, and Cinnamon basil. I’ll cut off any basil that is ready and if it’s not enough I’ll add some fresh spinach or arugula. I can’t find a good source for pine nuts here but discovered that roasted pistachio nuts work really well.
Garlic-Parmesan cream – not sure what the Italian name for this is. Like pesto, this paste is another perfect Italian idea. At a restaurant it was served with bread, as an appetizer, and I loved it and asked the waiter about it. He laughed and said it’s just parmesan, garlic and olive oil. I make this about once a month. It keeps for a long time in the fridge.
Kimchi – how I love this, too! I don’t make Kimchi but I make lots of things with it. Yesterday I made a Mac ‘n’ Cheese dish for dinner. Only, it was Penne instead of Macaroni and it had a cup of Kimchi in it.
Sourdough Bread – yep, pretty damn perfect. I still bake every Sunday and have been making sourdough bread for at least ten years. That’s thousands of loaves. I am starting to feel the dough.
Granola – I was first introduced to granola in Vermont in the year 1979. Damn, what a great idea. I don’t like any granola that is sold in stores! It’s all too sweet for me. Like Bread and Hummus I like my granola a bit more neutral in flavor. I make at least one batch every week.
I realize I could go on and on about food. Better stop here for now. To be continued…
I’m cooking right now and wondered how you make the garlic parmesan cream?
I start by shredding a big wedge of parmesan in the food processor. Then I switch from the shredder to the blade and add a handful of garlic. I like garlic and use a lot, like a whole bulb and not just a couple of cloves. The paste mellows out after a few days in the fridge, so don’t worry if you think you added to much garlic. Then I start up the blade and drizzle olive oil into the mix until I like the consistency. Since this keeps well I always make this much and keep a container of it in the fridge.
It’s great on bread and also works really well for making a quick pasta dish. Boil pasta and add the parm-cream et voilá. 1001 uses!
That sounds delicious and convenient. I’ll try it!
Isn’t that funny how long this post stayed with me?
It didn’t surprise me. :-)
When it comes to food and cooking, you know me too well.