Tabouli

There are a lots of different ways to spell and prepare this healthy, parsley and mint based salad but however you do it it should taste exceptional with some hummus (see below) and warm lebanese flatbread. Making it will boost your fine chopping skills and hopefully inspire you (if you haven't already) to plant your own herb garden as well as making you popular on picnics. Use whatever you have on hand in terms of a grain or seed; quinoa, burghul, cous cous...

Tabouli:

Ingredients:

2 bunches parsley

1 bunch mint

2 small tomatoes

1/2 red onion

1/2 cup quinoa

1/2 lemon, juiced

Extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

Cook quinoa according to packet instructions, allow to cool. Finely chop parsley, mint and red onion, place together in a bowl. Dice tomato and add to bowl. Add lemon juice, quinoa and stir to combine. Add olive oil until it is glossy but not pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Best to leave it to marinate for an hour or so.

Hummus

I’m just back from our annual family holiday on the mid north coast. We’re a fairly predictable family and have been going to the same spot for about 18 years. I sometimes think I may be getting a bit old for family holidays but when the weather is good and it’s just a short stroll to your favourite beach there is really no where better to be. The only down side is the lack of access to good fruit and veg. Although, this year I did check out the monthly markets, which had a fairly good veg stall. I like to pre-make as much as I can, meatballs, meat patties, pesto and fish and veggie stocks to ensure good eating without too much effort. This year I also took up a batch of hummus. I was well and truly addicted to hummus for a few months last year, I would have an enormous dollop each lunch and it was quite scary how many kilo bags of dried chick peas I went through. I’ve cut back a bit now, even though it’s very healthy. It’s bit hard to put up an exact recipe because the amounts I use change each time. I usually soak and cook a kilo bag of dried chickpeas and then divide them in 4 and freeze the ones I’m not using. Make sure you reserve some of the cooking water from the chickpeas to loosen the hummus up a bit, freezing any extra also work well to use with later batches. Make it a few times and adjust quantities to your taste. 

A warning: once you make this and realise how easy it you will never be able to eat store bought hummus again. This is worlds away from the thin, runny, and grainy substance masquerading as hummus.    

Hummus

Ingredients:  

1kg chickpeas

1tsp whole cumin seeds

1tsp sea salt

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 small chilli, finely chopped

Half lemon, juiced

1 heaped tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)

Pepper

Method:

Rinse and soak chickpeas overnight, then rinse again and place in a large pot, fill with water to about 5cms or so above the chickpeas. Cook for 1 ½ hours or until the chickpeas are well cooked, top the water up when necessary. Drain, reserving cooking water and cool. Divide chickpeas into four, place the three lots not being used in bags and freeze.

Get a frying pan really hot and dry fry the cumin seeds, making sure they don’t burn. Grind them in a mortar and pestle, add the salt and grind together. Place the chickpeas in a food processor, process. Add reserved water until desired consistency is achieved. Add the cumin and salt, tahini, garlic and chilli, process. Add lemon juice, pepper and a pinch of salt, process. Taste and adjust seasoning.