The Set Table

Our origianl plans were to spend Passover with our friend Amir and his family in the Yemen tradition, but our hosts in Israel made a last minute trip here this week and wanted to do a seder at the house. They were going to bring in some rotisserie chicken and pre-made salads, when the host in me said "I'll cook."

In the states probably the most common Passover main entree is Brisket, something I have gotten down pretty well. Now, I know that they don't use the same cuts of meat here in Israel - the use an international numbering system that, as usual, the US doesn't follow. So, finding the right cut of meat is always a little interesting. I went to the store and tried to eyeball it, thinking that it was probably cut Shelosh. But they didn't have it. I sent Scott out yesterday to do some hunting and basically said try to find it, but whatever you do, just come back with something. He came home with cut Chamesh, which to the best of my ability is a Chuck-eye Roast. Not a great cut of meat, but still very expensive here. So, I did a little search on the web and found a recipe from none other than Cook's Illustrated. Wish me luck.

The Menu:
Matzoh Ball Soup
Chopped Liver (Liver in Israel is very popular. Scott loves chopped liver and even though I insisted I would not make it, I am.)
Cucumber Salad
Beet Salad
Hummus and some other purchased salads
All the usual seder items, except the lamb shank. We have our own at home that Scott has cleaned and saved for use at Pesach, but we didn't bring it with us. Our neighbor said they just use any bone they have, so I figured I'll use the wish bone I saved from the chicken soup I made. Ha Ha.

I don't really have high hopes, but we'll see!

With a little help from my friends...

In our efforts to cut costs, I decided I would try my hand at Hummus. Now, the #1 problem with homemade hummus is the consistency. Lucky for me Cooks Illustrated had a recipe for hummus in their latest issue. If you aren't familiar with the magazine, you definitely should check it out when you see it at the market (probably whole foods or central market). Since I wasn't going to be able to receive the magazine this year, I decided to try a web subscription. So, this is my success story:

Me: "I made some hummus, you'll have to tell me what you think."
Amir: "You made hummus? Making hummus is very hard. Most people can't do it. The most trouble is with the consistency."
Me: "Well, the consistency seems pretty good. It's smooth and creamy. You'll have to give me your honest opinion."
Amir: "I will. That's why I'm telling you ahead of time."
Later....
Me: "Oh, the hummus. Tell me what you think, honestly"
Amir: "Okay" breaking apart the pita, dipping, chewing "Well...(silence)...I think this is probably the best homemade hummus I've ever had."

So, the cool thing about Cooks Illustrated is that they approach the recipe like a scientific
experiment. They do all kinds of tests until they find the best result. What I'm telling you is that the process is critical...no skipping steps.

Ultimate Hummus (ala Cooks Illustrated)
We recommend Joyva or Krinos tahini. The hummus can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 5 days. If you do not plan on serving it immediately, refrigerate the hummus and garnishes separately. When ready to serve, stir in approximately 1 tablespoon of warm water if the texture is too thick.

Makes about 2 cups
1/2 cup dried chickpeas
2 quarts water
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
6 tablespoons tahini , stirred well (see note)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil , plus extra for drizzling
1 small garlic clove , minced or pressed through garlic press
(about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro or parsley leaves

1. Pick through and rinse dried chickpeas. Place beans in large bowl, cover with 1 quart water, and soak overnight. Drain. Bring beans, baking soda, and remaining quart water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup bean cooking water, and cool.

2. Combine lemon juice and reserved cooking water in small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together tahini and 2 tablespoons oil in second small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside 2 tablespoons chickpeas for garnish.

3. Process remaining chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, add lemon juice-water mixture in steady stream through feed tube. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add oil-tahini mixture in steady stream through feed tube; continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

4. Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle reserved chickpeas and cilantro or parsley over surface, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

I don't have a food processor here in Israel, so I tried the same method with a blender. It took a bit longer, but it had the same result. Yay!