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Latest War in the Middle East Over Hummus

partysugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:45:18 -0700

A group of Lebanese businessmen have accused Israel of stealing their traditional dish, hummus. Although the exact origins of the creamy garbanzo bean spread are unknown, the Lebanese Industrialists Association, lead by Fadi Abboud, plan to sue Israel for ownership. Abboud hopes to make hummus a dish with protected geographical status.

Similar to how feta cheese must be made with Greek sheep and goat's milk or how champagne must be made with grapes native to the Champagne region of France, Abboud believes hummus and other local delicacies (baba ghannouj, tabbouleh) deserve geographical protection. His case may be futile, though; the Protected Geographical Status Law applies only to countries in the European Union. There is no such law in Lebanon and Israel.

I think the whole thing is a bit comical: who has time to fight over the ownership of hummus? Still, I'm curious to see if hummus is declared a product specific to Lebanon. What do you think about the claim?

Smooth and Creamy Homemade Hummus

partysugar — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 08:00:57 -0700

Although I've made hummus with canned garbanzo beans a bunch of times, recently, I decided to experiment with a dried variety. The resulting hummus was delicious and incredibly rich with a perfect texture. Using the dried beans seemed to make it fuller and more luxurious than other any other hummus. You do, however, need to let the beans soak overnight, so don't wait until the last minute to make the puree. Served with crisp pita chips, this hummus was a scrumptious start to a Mediterranean meal. To look at the recipe,

Reader Recipe: Hummus With Pita Chips

YumSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:00:36 -0700

I haven't made any fresh hummus recently, but when I came across Shiloh Jolie Pitt's recipe, I remembered how it's super easy to make. While you could buy a commercial variety from the grocery store aisle, there's a significant difference between the taste of store-bought hummus and the creamy homemade kind. To make the entire meze even better, take a few minutes to toast the pita chips in the oven — they'll come out warm and crispy. Like Shiloh suggests, it's easy to vary the flavor by adding sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, parsley, or anything else that suits your fancy. To get this delicious recipe,

Come Party With Me: Bachelorette — Menu

partysugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:45:15 -0700

When hosting a destination bachelorette party in a glamorous location like Vegas, set aside plenty of time to plan the party. Being organized with a schedule of events, set dinner reservations, and selected club locations will aid in making the event fabulously seamless. Let guests know what's up in advance, so they can pack appropriate clothing.

For my friend Elena's bachelorette party in Las Vegas, all of the meals will be eaten out. However, one of the nights before we go out, everyone will gather in my room for a lingerie shower. I've ordered a trio of appetizers — white bean hummus with kalamata relish, Bloody Mary cocktail meatballs, and spinach gruyere pinwheels — from the hotel, so everyone can sip Champagne and have a snack.

For more wedding coverage head over to IDoSugar. To take a look at these recipes,

Killer App: Endive Boats

YumSugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:28:11 -0700

The other night I got home from work and was starving. Unfortunately we had late dinner plans that evening, so I couldn't chow down too heavily. We also had limited supplies in our cabinets; there was no bread, crackers, or fruit to snack on. Oddly there were several heads of fresh endives and I figured that was a good place to start.

Endive is great in that you can trim the bottoms off and use the leaves in lieu of crackers. Sometimes I just dollop a mixture of blue cheese and candied walnuts on the ends, and other times I use a tapenade or a hummus. This time I ended up ~~cleaning out my pantry~~ blending canned tuna, hummus — it was a nice replacement for mayonnaise — sundried tomato/olive tapenade, and chopped cherry tomatoes into a creamy mixture. I then placed a small spoonful on each end. It ended up being the perfect snack and I was able to save the rest of the mixture — which I put on top of a bed of leafy greens — for lunch the next day.

If you've never had endive, I suggest you give it a try. The outer leaves tend to be more bitter than the inner ones, which are creamy and mild. Just think of them as carb-free savory crackers, and top them with whatever you feel like! They're a great personal snack and make for an elegant appetizer. Most people are always thrilled by them, so give it a go and let us know what you make!

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Yummy Link: Hummus With A Twist

partysugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:00:51 -0700

If you enjoy flavored hummus, definitely check out this recipe for pineapple curry hummus. It sounds delicious and is super simple to make. — 28 Cooks

Come Party With Me: Oscars Viewing — Menu

partysugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:28:31 -0800

Instead of serving a sit down dinner at your Oscars viewing party, offer a smörgåsbord of snacks like Wolfgang Puck does at the Governors Ball. Provide a hearty mix of homemade and store bought appetizers. Have a cheese plate with several different types of cheese, crackers, flatbreads, crostini, and grapes. A platter of salumi — salami, proscuitto, chorizo, etc. — with olives compliments the assortment of cheeses. Order a couple of sushi platters from your favorite sushi restaurant.

Supplement these grocery store goodies with easy to make dishes: smoked salmon pizza, blue cheese popcorn, smoky chipotle hummus, and gingery chicken satay with peanut sauce. For the recipes, please

Definition: Tahini

partysugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 02:57:39 -0700

Tahini
Typically used in Middle Eastern cooking, a thick paste made from ground sesame seeds that commonly seasons dips, sauces, spreads, and other dishes such as hummus. Its consistency is thinner than peanut butter and it can be found in health food stores and the ethnic section of most grocery stores. Tahini comes in a variety of forms from a sweetened darker version to fresh, in cans, in jars, or dehydrated.