[Ea]

Originally Posted by BenG

Here's my hummus recipe.

1 (16-ounce can) chickpeas, well-rinsed and drained
3 to 6 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp salt
3 to 4 Tbs olive oil
Juice of 2 to 3 lemons
2 to 3 Tbs tahini, well-mixed

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Looks very nice. I've met several who claim that good hummus does not need tahini, but they are so wrong.

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I LOVE hummus and would like to make it more often. I keep both canned and dried garbanzo beans on hand all the time, I also normally have a rather significant amount of sesame seeds around for baking. I wonder if I put the seeds into a blender if that will make a good enough paste to use

You could make tahini that way if you have enough seeds. It's best to roast them a bit before, but beware that the darker you roast them the more bitter the seed paste will be.

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

well... i imagine you don't have the wartime stigma so much over there, which is probably a big part of it. also i suspect that in some regions it's easier to find ; when i searched for recipes for it online i found quite a lot but all of them were from the province (and canada, also, but again, canada probably doesn't have such strong memories of the war). i think it's coming back ; a few years ago i had never seen nor heard of a potimarron, and now they're everywhere. and the four seasons guy said he was getting requests for butternut sqash from the younger generation now, so it might become easier to find. i hope so.

i don't know about acorn squash : another one for me to search out.

I think *war time* stigma may be a French notion? It's my impression that the widespread use of pumpkins and winter squash may simply be more American.

It's difficult to say, but I've asked both my parents (born in '33) about pumpkin, and both are only aware of it as pickled pumpkin. That's also the only kind of pumpkin I saw as a child and until a few years ago (born in '72).

I've only in recent years started to encounter fresh pumpkins at the grocer - and only hokkaido pumpkin and winter squash - and it's still a rare and seasonal vegetable. However, Scandinavia is very conservative with regards to vegetables, no doubt the short, cold summers have something to do with this, but changes in our vegetable diet tends to come really slow. Personally, I'm glad to have the choice between two kinds of pumpkin rather than none this Autumn - but then I also like to discover new recipes and new foods.