WHAT’S FOR (Christmas) DINNER?

Many of you asked for the recipe of hummus so I will sneak that in here since it’s so easy! It has just a handful of ingredients: a can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), ¼ cup tahini (sesame seed paste), ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup (or more) freshly squeezed lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and 1 small clove of garlic, crushed. Blitz it all in a food processor for a minute and it’s done! You can add whatever you like to it for a flavor twist: some fried onions (my favorite!), roasted bell peppers, roasted nuts, spices of choice (curry or ras-el-hanut are both interesting variations). When serving, top up with  a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and dried spices, herbs, or nuts.

The main course: that’s where the main attention will be. In the winter, the best approach is to put something in the oven that will not require a lot of effort but will be a great centerpiece, say a roast of sorts. But I am sure you already got that covered. For the sides, I love some roasted veggies, like carrots, that are so easy to prepare, especially when the oven is already hot! Just peel and slice your veggies of choice (carrots, brussels sprouts, fennel, cauliflower, etc), drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and whatever you feel like (cumin seeds? Garam masala? A drizzle of honey and sesame seeds?) and roast on 400F for 20-30 minutes, flipping and checking for doneness periodically.

FOODFIRST UPDATES

Check out the newsletter archive if you missed the previous newsletters! They have fun and easy recipes for dinner and desserts; you can find them linked at the bottom of the What’s for Dinner webpage of the FoodFirst website.