Roasted Garlic Hummus

I am one of those people who can't stand store bought Hummus because i always think it tastes like wallpaper paste. I love this recipe because it is quick and easy so you can have Hummus any time you want. You can substitute store bought roasted garlic if you grocery store carries it in the herb department but you will need to use more of it than if you make it yourself. I personal love to serve this with fresh roasted Naan as I like the warmth of the fresh bread over something like Pita or chips.

INGREDIENTS
2 oz roast garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil , plus extra for drizzling
2 thinly sliced garlic cloves
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup water
6 tablespoons tahini , stirred well (see note)
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas , drained and rinsed (see note)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Pinch cayenne
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat olive oil and 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves in small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic slices to paper towel-lined plate and set aside; reserve oil. Cut the tops off of the garlic and roast at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Once roasted garlic is cool, squeeze cloves from their skins (you should have about 1/4 cup).

2. Combine lemon juice and water in small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together tahini and garlic cooking oil in second small bowl or measuring cup.

3. Process chickpeas, roasted garlic puree, salt, and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, add lemon juice-water mixture in steady stream through feed tube. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add oil-tahini mixture in steady stream through feed tube; continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

4. Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle toasted garlic slices and parsley over surface, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Asian Braised Beef Short Ribs

This recipe probably gets the most raves from my friends every time I cook it and it couldn't be any easier to make. It scales up perfectly so it is great for a dinner for 2 or a party of 150 (I really cooked it for that many people).

INGREDIENTS
8-10 Beef Short Ribs
1 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Mirin
1/4 cup Rice wine vinegar
10 cloves Garlic - peeled and smashed
10 tbsp Ginger - peeled and minced
1/2 cup Light brown sugar
1 quart Water
1/2 cup Green onion - Sliced, bottoms, white part for braising liquid
1/2 cup Green onion - Sliced, tops, green part only for topping the finished dish
1/4 cup Fresh orange juice
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce

INSTRUCTIONS
1 - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2 - In a wide stockpot or Dutch oven, combine the short ribs, soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, water, green onion bottoms and 2 tablespoons of the orange juice. If you don't have a pot with a lid you can use aluminum foil but make sure it is sealed up tight. Make the short ribs are submerged in the liquid and ad more water if needed to cover them.
3 - Bake the short ribs, covered, for about 3-4 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bones. Remove the short ribs from the braising liquid and cover to keep warm. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
4 - Drain the fat off of the cooking liquid and discard. Place the remaining braising juices in a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup of the hoisin sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the liquid until only about 1 1/4 cups remain. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer, discarding the solids. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of orange juice.
5 - If you are serving immediately then return the short ribs and the reduced sauce to the stockpot, coating the short ribs well with the sauce and cook for 10 minutes until the short ribs are heated through and slightly glazed. Serve over green onion mashed potatoes or in bibb lettece cups. Season each portion with the a small amount of orange zest and garnish with the green onions.

If serving at a later time then keep the short ribs and braising liquid separate until before you want to serve them and then follow the steps above to heat and combine. This prevents the meats from soaking up the soy sauce and becoming too salty.