RECIPES
I love to cook—but not when I have to—rather it’s a kind of Zen thing for me. I enjoy taking my time over the preparation (so really only a weekend activity), and I appreciate dishes that need time to come to fruition. I enjoy the wait, the regular checking, the anticipation. I also like to involve my kids occasionally, not least because if they’ve helped in the preparation, they tend to enjoy the results much more.
My allies in this hobby are a Sous Vide (plus a huge tub where I can fit large pieces of meat), an Instant Pot (to capture all the flavors), a Vitamix (essential for hummus), and a wood pellet smoker (for Texas brisket). When I turned 40, I decided to treat myself: I’d been in the US about a year and a half by then and thought that maybe I should go native—so a BBQ was in order. After a lot of online research, I settled on a Memphis Grill. It turned out to be one of my best investments—I’ve rebuilt it several times over the years but it’s still going strong and is now firmly established as a member of the family.
Now to hummus. I’ve been on a quest to make the perfect hummus for some 20 years, and only relatively recently have I got to a point where I’m not dissatisfied with the result (but it remains a work in progress). I’ve collected little tips and ideas from all over. Back when I lived in Oxford there was a great Lebanese restaurant we loved to frequent. The night before we were due to leave for our new life in the US, we were having our last dinner there when I lamented to the waiter that I’d miss their hummus. He then volunteered the recipe – which is how I learned about the ice cubes…
Below, I share my thoughts on how to make and serve hummus, as well as the occasional other recipe which I happen to be into at the time.
