White Bean Dip, Summer Squash Soup with Mint Parsley Pistou, and Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Popovers

Tomatoes from my grandmother's garden

Last night I had set my sights on making hummus today.  My lunches for a while have been devoted to wraps with hummus so I decided that today I might as well make it myself.  Turned out, as it always seems to, that we didn't actually have any chickpeas, or, for that amtter, any tahini.  So, that was out.  I almost gave up, but then I remembered that you can make something like hummus with cannellini beans, which I have an ample supply of.  Using a well-reviewed recipe from Giada de Laurentis, I was able to make white bean dip.  There was originally 1/3 cup of olive oil in the dip, which would have been way too much, seeing as 2 tablespoons made the dip taste enough like olive oil.  That though, is the only change that I made to the recipe.

Also today, I made summer-squash soup with parsley mint pistou.  The mint in the pistou pairs well with the squash soup, so don't try another herb.  The squash soup is a nice yellow-orange color and the contrast between the pistou and the squash is beautiful.

The popovers were pretty good, considering I had never had gluten-free popovers and had no idea what to expect.  They were a bit chewy, but that might have been because I had to stir them a bit more than I normally would have while I was waiting for the oven to become free.  As noted in the recipe, I couldn't really taste the chives I added, so I would definitely go with a strongly flavored herb as they suggest.  If you don't want herbs, they taste great with butter and raspberry jam!

We'll be back to school tomorrow, which is not something I look forward to returning to.  I have to say that I enjoyed being at home for Labor Day weekend, instead of going up to camp for the last time in the summer like we normally do.  We got to enjoy my grandmother's birthday, spend the night there, and go down to Prospect Harbor last night to go swimming in the ocean.  At least school is only four days.  Hopefully there will be no economics test on Friday!  All recipes, in order referred to, are below:

White Bean Dip
Giada de Laurentis

Recipe originally included how to make pita chips.  The link on the recipe name will bring you to the original with the pita chips.

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil (I just used 2 tablespoons for the dip)

1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.

Summer-Squash Soup with Mint Parsley Pistou

Gourmet, September 2006

For squash soup:

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces (Used 3 tablespoons olive oil instead, might just halve butter instead as soup tasted a bit too much like olive oil for my taste, though still good)

1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 lb yellow summer squash, halved and thinly sliced

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 yellow-fleshed potato (1/2 lb), peeled, halved,

4 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth

for pistou

3/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs

1 large scallion, chopped (1/2 cup) (Used 1 shallot here instead)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (Didn't quite use the full amount here, seeing as was already in soup)

2 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon salt

Make soup:
Melt butter in a 6- to 8-quart wide heavy pot over moderate heat, then cook onion with salt, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add squash, carrots, potato, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, then simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool soup, uncovered, 10 minutes.

Working in batches, purée; soup in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids) and transfer to a bowl. Return puré to cleaned pot and thin with water if desired; simmer 3 minutes. Season with salt.

Make pistou while vegetables simmer:
Pulse mint, parsley, and scallion in a food processor until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil in a stream, then add water and salt, blending until incorporated.

Swirl 1 tablespoon pistou into each bowl of soup.

Crusty Herb Popovers
Living Without magazine, October/ November 2011

Makes 12 popovers

This recipe is a great substitution for bread at any meal and is easy and rewarding to make.  Adding fresh herbs compliments your thanksgiving menu.  For best results, do not replace eggs in this recipe.

4 eggs
1 cup milk or dairy free milk of choice (I used soy)
1/3 cup tapioca starch/flour
2/3 cup white rice flour
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, rosemary or sage, copped finely (I used chives, but couldn't taste)
Dash salt

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place a 12-cup muffin tin in the oven to preheat.  (A warm muffin tinhelps the batter rise.  Keep the tin in the oven until you're ready to pour in the batter.) 
2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until well blended.  Add tapioca starch/flour, white rice flour, herbs and salt.  Whisk until combined and smooth.
3.  Carefully remove the hot baking tin from the oven.  Lightly grease it with cooking spray. 
4.  Pour in the batter, filling each muffin cup three-quarters full.  (Fill any empty muffin cups with water to ensure even baking.)
5.  Place popovers in preheated oven and bake 25 minutes or until popovers are puffed high and turn a rich, golden brown.  (For puffiest popovers do not open the oven door before 25 minutes.)  Serve immediately.