I always kind of mourn the onset of fall. Not because I dislike fall itself. Quite the contrary, in fact. I love the changing of the seasons, as it makes a Canadian girl appreciate the summers even more, when we distinctly go through winter, spring, summer and fall. I love the beautiful, rich colours of fall, pumpkins & everything pumpkin, the evolution of the fall kitchen to now include soups, roasting and stewing. And without omission, the overwhelming bounty at the Farmer's Markets; every fruit & vegetable of the Okangan Valley, available in all of their splendour, in magnificent proportions! It is what fall suggests that somehow saddens me…that the blue skies & sweet sunshine are fading & winter & her cold flakes of white may soon be upon us…they have already made their appearance in Calgary!
The mornings are crisper now. A jacket feels good as I stride my way along the Gellatly path that courses its way along Lake Okanagan, over to The Cove, through Gellatly Nut Farm & back over the same stretch to return to where we are parked. Today, Shaq, my ever-faithful 4-legged friend, managed to get himself completely swallowed up by burrs. Burrs such as I have never seen, large & gnarly & twisted into his fluffy paws, in a way most unpleasant for both he & I. After a picnic table comb-out, complicated by the ensuing blackbirds - that Shaq insisted on leaping constantly from the table to protect me from - we were on our way to do our few errands.
Today our walk & all of the shopping detours were only incidental to what I was actually eager to get home to. I have been wanting to roast some root vegetables every since being gifted with some beautiful beets from a friend's garden. To those, I gathered & added some rainbow carrots, new baby potatoes, & yams. It was a roaster's cornucopia of roots. The beets were so lusciously large that I had to do a little google search to see just what would be the right approach to roasting them.
Roasting Large Beets:
Turns out, you wash & dry thoroughly, trim the ends, cut into desired sized pieces, rub with oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper, place on parchment-lined baking sheet & cover tightly with foil. Bake in a 400 degree oven for appx 50 mins. Cool a wee bit & remove the skins, preferably with silicon gloves on to save you from red fingers! Mine needed a wee bit longer to cook.
When roasting veg, I always like to do the beets separate because their juices always like to mingle with the colours of the other roots & I much prefer a plate of many colours to one of blended maroon…
Tonight's offerings did not disappoint. The veggies were perfectly tender & reeked of the fresh flavour that needs very little accompaniment. I simply toss the veg in a little EVOO & steak spice. Then, spread out in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets & bake for 30-40 mins at 400 degrees. I keep an eye on them & remove them from oven when just tender. They were really a feast unto themselves, but we added a little grilled chicken. Tenders from Sterling Springs Farm, where the owner of the farm brings her truck & freezer & sells her cage-free "happy chicken" meat at the Kelowna Farmer's Market.
The other "golden" moment occurred today when I, once again, had to replenish the supply of the seventh food group. Darrell & I affectionately call that group "hummus." We insist that we could not survive, in this life, without that elemental part of our diet. I was dumbfounded to find that I had not blogged the recipe for this delicious golden accent to cracker & veggie alike. I have perfected this middle eastern treat to our family's specifications, over the years - and I might add - we eat a LOT of it. It's golden!!
*Let it be duly noted that I cannot imagine how you would make hummus without a food processor. My sincere apologies to those of you that don't have one. If I ever hear of another method, I will instantly do an update to this blog.*
Hummus:
1 large can chick peas
3 - 4 gloves of garlic minced or microplaned (my very fave kitchen gadget!)
2 tsp. cumin
1/3 C Tahini
1 tsp salt
juice of 1 fresh lemon
a tbsp of water if needed to loosen the spread in processor, all brands of chick peas are so different in consistency - believe me, I know!
Put all of the above into the bin of your processor. Pulse a couple of times just to get started incorporating. Then, process to the consistency you desire. In our home, we do not like the lovely granular nature of the golden pulses to be completely processed into the gluey substance that is available in the grocery store. But, you decide - that consistency can be reached if you but process away…
At times, we have added a handful of fresh corn kernels, jalapeño, roasted red peppers, or small amounts of garam masala. All have added a different dimension to the golden spread, jewel of the east!
Recently I have become acquainted with Duqqa (as pictured below.) We sometimes like a little of that sprinkled on top as we serve. But most often, we top our hummus with a thick stream of our favourite balsamic drizzle. And right now that is Tangerine Balsamic from Oliv. If you don't have an Oliv store near you, you may find a simple balsamic drizzle in the salad dressing aisle of your grocery store - or it seems the oil & vinegar shops are popping up all around - you may find you have one, of another name, in your area.
Easy Peasy, as my friend Jamie O would say. Give it a try! You may never visit the hummus aisle again :)
