How to be a Domestic Goddess

Pretty crudite platter, right? I think Ina would be proud.



Hummus

2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
6 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbs water or liquid from the chickpease
8 dashes Tabasco sauce

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste for seasoning and serve chilled or at room temperature.


Tzatziki

4 c plain yogurt, whole milk or low-fat
2 hothouse cucumbers, unpeeled and seeded
2 T + 1 tsp kosher salt
1 c sour cream
2 T champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/4 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 T good olive oil
1 T minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 T fresh dill

Place the yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined sieve and set it over a bowl. Grate the cucumber and toss it with 2 Tbs salt; place it in a nother sieve and set it over another bowl. Place both bowls in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours so the yogurt and cucmber can drain. Transfer the thickened yogurt to a large bowl. Squeeze as much liquid from the cucumbers as you can add the cucumbers to the yogurt. Mix in the sour cream, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dill, 1 tsp salt, and pepper. You can serve it immediately, but I prefer to allow the tzatziki to sit in the refigerator for a few hours for the flavors to blend.

(Tastes great as a sauce for gyros or as a dip for pita bread.)