Apologies for the change in post. DWs guest blog will be up next week.
This week, the kitchen felt more like a blank page when I have writer’s block than a place to come up with loveliness.
Usually, I cook to feel better, to distract myself, to be productive and have some play time. Cooking is often my only creative outlet. Best of all, I get to eat my “artwork” in the end. Once in a while, however, the kitchen is the last place I want to be. In those rare times, figuring out what to make is a real challenge.
A lovely man passed away this week. I didn’t know him all that well and yet I’ve known him all my life. I have been lucky enough not just to know my grandparents really well, I was also raised around their friends. This bunch of people have known one another since the nineteen forties. They have lived through each others’ marriages, the births of their children, wars, farewells and reunions, illnesses, deaths, and everything in between.
It is a real gift to know people of such a different generation as well as I do, and I feel my life has been immensely enriched because of it.
A lovely man passed away this week. He was a part of that generation and a great friend to my grandparents. Chances are, you didn’t know him but this man had a way of making others feel special. He remembered everyone’s birthdays. He welcomed me every time I arrived in Israel. He called my grandmother on Friday’s to wish her a Shabbat Shalom and every year on the day my grandfather died to say he was thinking of her.
On his death bed, he said “I never knew I was so important.” Thankfully, people got the time to tell him he was. Not that it makes his death any easier.
Nine years ago, my grandfather died. He went in an instant. Though he didn’t suffer, there were no warnings or goodbyes. This man, on the other hand, went through universes of pain in the last month of his life. But he got to say goodbye. And those who loved him were able to tell him how they felt.
There is no “best” way to die, but there is a “best” way to live. And this week, with my heart hurting, that is what I am thinking about. So no, I don’t really feel like cooking. Instead I want to go for long walks with my daughter and my husband, finish my novel, call the people I love, follow the sunshine.
Existential thoughts aside, however, dinner still has to be put on the table.
If you read this blog then you know that one of the favourites around here is hummus. Beans, however, haven’t been going over all that well lately. In addition, I’m trying to create meals that can be adapted for everyone’s tummy – from the omnivorous Pappa’s, to the novice baby’s.
I decided to adapt Matt Amsden’s recipe from his book Rawvolution. The first time I made it, it disappeared like magic and was immediately requested again. So I made it a second time.
For our supper, I used it as a thick dressing on top of a roasted vegetables and greens. When guests came for lunch, I served it with crudités and raw crackers. For my daughter, I mashed it with baked squash.
And the best part? No soaking, no cooking, no farting. Just measure, chop, blend and serve.
Zuchini Hummus
(adapted from Rawvolution, by Matt Amsden)
- 2 zucchini, chopped roughly (the original recipe calls for peeling them. I don’t. It gives the hummus a light green hue, which be a consideration if you are dealing with colour-sensitive eaters)
- ¾ cup tahini (I use the unhulled kind due to its nutritional benefits)
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped and a little extra for garnish (optional – see zucchini comment)
Start by blending the zucchini with the lemon juice and olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well. The result is a lighter than traditional hummus, both in taste as well as in texture.
Note: the original recipe calls for 4 peeled cloves of fresh garlic. I don’t add any garlic at all, but many people love it in their hummus. 4 cloves is a lot, however.
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