I am in denial: about the fact that I’m moving in three days, and I just sold my desk (gave it away, actually), and now my room is sad and lopsided, like a boat listing dangerously to port. Or is it starboard? I can never remember.
Also about the fact that I only have a little over a week of cooking for myself before I’m gone for the summer, so I should be making the most of it, but it is 90 degrees and I don’t want to. So I’m eating a lot of salads. Cold soba noodles, lentil/feta/tomato salad (which I always think of as Oberlin Graduation lentil salad, because my roommates and I made it for our parents when they came for commencement 7 years ago). And this improvised tomato salad that I made on Memorial Day weekend. I justified buying the extravagant tomatoes by the fact that it was also my mom’s birthday two days later.
This barely needs a recipe, it’s just a pound of pretty tomatoes chopped to roughly uniform dice (I bought one of those fancy containers of assorted shapes, colors, and sizes – red, yellow, purple, green) plus a minced shallot, some fresh thyme or whatever herb you’ve got, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, salt and coarse-ground pepper. And a sunny day.
I’ve also been enjoying some homemade hummus. I got this recipe a couple of years ago when I accompanied a voice recital and somebody’s dad brought a big bowl of it for the reception. I’d never had homemade hummus before and was astounded at the flavor, so it was the first thing I made when I finally got a food processor. I’ve since begun customizing it with a handful of whatever I’ve got around – chopped red pepper, sliced scallions, or in this case, chipotles in adobo. I usually use 1-2 smallish chipotles per batch, but this time I used a single larger one, plus maybe I got a really spicy batch of them, because it’s so piquant as to be a naturally self-limiting snack. Oh well.
Hummus
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp plain sesame tahini
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp salt
juice of 1 lemon
some water
olive oil
Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend to desired consistency (I like it not completely smooth, but that’s just me). Add salt if needed, or more water if too dry. You can also throw in additional flavorings before or after blending – if I’m using scallions I add them after, so they get mixed in but not pulverized.
Happy summer!
up and out 