Feeding Creative Genius with Hummus

I came to Panama to write a book. I came to Boquete specifically because it seemed like a great place to do so...and also because it is the Panamanian mecca of fresh local food...and there's a Tuesday farmer's market that caters to gringa tastes like mine, with organic and hydroponic vegetables, export-grade local coffee, a used English book seller (who also sells stamps and will take your letters to friends in the States, stuff them in a bag and give them to the next expat with room in their suitcase to drop in a U.S. mail box once they're stateside), a honey lady (OMG, DELICIOUS local honey), and a guy who sharpens kitchen knives.

I mean, what else could I possibly need?

Oh. I mean, as long as I'm focusing on a "this, or something better" concept over at my other blog, I may as well ask for some perks. Let's see...how bout an English speaking local theater? OKAY.

First I got roped into bartending at a show by my landlady. It was called Rabbit Hole, and watching it gave me a lump in my throat that turned into open sobbing at the final performance. Then I got an email. They were auditioning for one act plays; did I want to try out?

Bench Warmers opened today. I'm in two shows. In one, I'm a depressed woman trying to jump to her death at Iguazu Falls on the Argentine Brazilian border, but I am thwarted by a super tourist who won't shut up or go away. In the second, I am a woman who leaves her husband and goes on the vacation they were supposed to have together at the Grand Canyon, only to break down sobbing and be comforted by an old lonely curmudgeon whose dead wife accompanied him on the trip she always wanted them to take together...but she died before they came.

And in between all my jumping and sobbing, I somehow also help feed the cast and crew.

Hummus goes great with all the local vegetables available here, and also with fresh bread, and crackers, and breadsticks, and...well, pretty much anything. I got at least three requests for the recipe, so I decided it was worth posting again.

So, without further ado, one of my favorite recipes from Savoring Chelan:

Terrie's Famous Hummus with a Kick 

Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

1 can garbanzo beans (16 oz.)
2 tablespoons Tahini
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon or less African cayenne pepper
Small bunch cilantro

Open the can of garbanzo beans, pour out half the liquid, and put the rest in food processor. Add Tahini, garlic, honey and African cayenne; blend until smooth and creamy. Throw a handful of fresh cilantro in at the end for taste and color.

Recipe Tips
Try substituting peanut butter for Tahini.
Take the green growth out of the center of the garlic clove; it makes it bitter.

Contributed to Savoring Chelan: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes by Terrie Holm-Nielsen.

Isaac's Cabbage Slaw

In celebration of KOHO Radio's Cooking in the KOHO host Isaac Kaplan-Woolner's great news that he took a job as a producer for Rick Steves, I am posting his cabbage slaw recipe.

Isaac is like me: he's a concoctionist, and although he has a basic recipe in his head, it is not the same recipe every time he makes it. I recently asked him for the ingredient list, and wrote down amounts as I made it. I checked with him and he thought they seemed about right, but feel free to change up the amounts to your tastes.


Cabbage Slaw
1/2 small head of cabbage
1/3 cup finely diced green onion
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup shaved carrots

Dressing
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed or 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1/4 cup olive oil
OR
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup plain yogurt

Combine all the ingredients for the slaw in a large bowl. Set aside.

To make the dressing, crush the garlic, brown sugar and sea salt in a bowl with the back of a spoon until you form a paste. Add mustard, lime juice, vinegar and celery seed. Mix until well blended.
Add either 1/4 cup of olive oil, or olive oil mixed with plain yogurt. Combine throughly, then mix into the cabbage slaw. Refrigerate and let sit to allow the flavors to marry.

Serve with fish, fish tacos, or barbecue...or pretty much anything else.