Togetherness: Veggies & Hummus

You can roast just about any winter vegetables & all together, provided you chop them uniformly & toss them with oil/seasonings.

I'm still working on uniformity in my chopping, & find it particularly hard with the multi-shaped root vegetables of various sizes.

In this case I roasted turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, carrots, & potatoes. I mixed them with two tablespoons of olive oil, basil, & marjoram. (I used marjoram only because we are currently & woefully out of oregano.) I added some onion about ten minutes in, following the recipe.

I received the idea of serving these vegetables with hummus, from my good friend in Buffalo. She roasted me up some carrots and beets while I was up there this winter, & served them with hummus & pitas. I especially like beets with hummus.

Turnips & rutabagas are new to us. We enjoyed the turnips in the mix, they were strong & complex. I felt they would be a bit too bitter for me to like on their own. The rutabaga was a nice treat. I enjoyed its creamy-peach color firstly. I also enjoyed its subtle spiciness, an almost radish-like flavor.

My husband drove home in the snow, & came in cold as a snowflake. This dish really warmed him up. The comfort, aroma & warmth of the roasted vegetables being pulled out of the oven as he sat down to dinner went a long way toward that. As did the interactive nature of hummus & pita, & the warm colors they provided.

For dessert we sipped Chai tea, & we spent the evening lazy in love.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Sailing over the Dogger Bank

Simply Hummus

To make hummus (not humus as our college cafeteria wrote it back in the day) you start with a can of garbanzo beans.

Drain them. I made the mistake once of not draining them & the result was far too liquid.

Add tahini, olive oil, & whatever you please. In this case, I added roasted garlic, paprika, & a bit of spaghetti sauce.

Then blend them in a blender or food processor.

That's all there is to it! Serve with pitas, vegetables, or both.

To roast garlic take off the loose flaky bits on the outside of a head of garlic. Then chop off just the tips of the cloves. Spread some oil on them. Then wrap in foil and bake at 400 degrees until soft (about thirty minutes). Squeeze out to use or eat.

In this case, I also served the hummus & pitas with the "Roasted Winter Vegetables"...

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Bothy Band- The Maid of Coolmore