Great Bread and Hummus - That's All You Need

I'm a big fan of bread, dip and all sorts of small plates. That's why when my friend and Guest Foodista Kimberly told me about her recipe for homemade hummus, I just had to share it with you. The recipe below is fast, easy and economical, costing about $1.75 for 6-8 oz, compared to roughly $3.50 for store bought hummus of the same size.

Kimberly's Homemade Hummus (serves 8-10)

Note: Kimberly usually adds an extra glug of olive oil in this and doesn't use tahini. She also suggests switching out your preferred add-ins for the peppers (such as olives, sun-dried tomatoes, etc).

Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can of chick peas/garbanzo beans
1/3 cup of tahini (optional)
1/4 cup of lemon juice
2 tbs of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of roasted red peppers (optional and can be substituted with add-ins of your choice)
A small handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
In a food processor, combine beans, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add red peppers and garlic until you get the desired consistency.

Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with good quality bread or pita chips.

I prefer serving my hummus with delicious flat, rosemary bread from Artopolis Bakery (see above picture). This beauty will impress your friends when entertaining and it tastes great too. For $3 for this gargantuan loaf, I think it provides great value.

Artopolis - 23-18 31st Street, Astoria NY 11105

718.728.8484

N/W Train to Astoria Blvd or Ditmars Blvd

www.artopolis.net

Me as a Parisian Breadmaker

This week, I had the distinct pleasure of doing something very special--I took a Parisian Bread Class at the International Culinary Center in SOHO. The ICC is a respected cooking school in Manhattan, with the French Culinary Institute, The Italian Culinary Academy and the newly created Recreational Division under one roof. I guess that's why I've never heard of it before--but after this week's class, I'll keep it top of mind for future culinary learning.

The Facilities:
The school is pretty nice but nothing fancy. The equipment is good but basic, which I liked because you could visualize yourself replicating the experience at home. I also liked that our kitchen was directly across from one of the pro-classes, where we got a whiff of the raw, uncut atmosphere that professional chefs are exposed to. Although we overhead a couple of stern shouts and clambers, it added to the authenticity of our experience. Everyone ate it up (pun intended).

The Instructor:
As with most activities, either for work or fun, it's all about the people that you work with. Our instructor was a young-looking yet experienced baker named Johnson Yu. He's been on the bread scene for quite a while, working at various New York restaurants before going on to work in renowned California bakeries such as Thomas Keller's, Bouchon Bakery.

My classmates and I very much enjoyed and appreciated Chef Yu's teaching style--he was informative, knowledgeable and approachable. He seemed a bit closed off in the beginning, but warmed up after a short hour, providing us with all sorts of helpful insights and techniques to bread baking. It was obvious that he was a master of his art, his love and appreciation for bread shining through from the beginning.

The Bread:
We did a lot in four hours! From making our own dough from scratch to shaping the bread, baking it and eating the finished product, it was an all-inclusive experience. About three quarters into the class, we took a rest and ate a delicious dinner, courtesy of the professional students. Although it was presented in a cafeteria-style setting, the food was top notch. And the best part was eating the fresh bread from our class with it.

Throughout one class, we made two different types of bread--le pain de mie and a classic baguette. I was glad that we got five generous baguettes each from our individual dough and about two large loaves of le pain de mie. But that's not to say that we didn't take more home. Chef Yu told us that we were welcomed to take home as much as we could carry--so in addition to the two breads mentioned above, I brought back a sweet cherry-nut bread, a dark wheat loaf and rolls. All in all, it was about 8 loaves and by the time that I got home, I was covered head to toe in flour.

I'd love to go back and take another class--although they do come at a premium, you learn a lot and get a truly wonderful experience. For my next one, I'm already thinking about desserts--chocolate in particular. Mmmm.....

Click here for a schedule of classes. The Parisian bread class will be offered again on January 27 - January 29 from 5:30pm - 9:30pm.

International Culinary Center - 462 Broadway, New York, NY 10013
212.219.8890
6 Train to Spring Street or N/R/W/Q to Canal Street
www.internationalculinarycenter.com

Tasty Bukharian Bread - Lepeshka

Meg had the brilliant idea of visiting Rego Park this week to have a proper Bukharian meal. Our dinner was fantastic and the prices were some of the most reasonable that I've seen in Queens.

Something that stood out for me was the bread or as the Bukharians refer to it, Lepeshka. It was soft, round with a small indentation in the middle and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Its dough is airy, light and you could easily polish off a half of it in one sitting. You can spread it with butter, make a sandwich out of it or just eat it plain--it's good any way.

I stopped at a Bukharian deli called Olgar, located next to the restaurant where we had dinner. The place was packed with a plethora of European foods such as baked goods, cold cuts and spices. I picked up a loaf of fresh Lepeshka for only $1.25. What a deal! I highly recommend trying it.

Olgar - 93-07 63rd Drive, Rego Park NY 11374

718.896.6800

R/V/G to 63rd Drive