May 31, 2015 • Nancy Wolfson-Moche

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Twenty years ago I took an Italian friend to a newish coffee place called Starbucks in New York City. He ordered a cappuccino. “Tall? Grande? Venti? One shot or two?” the barista asked. “Whole, skim, 2% or 1%?” she continued. In Italy, cappuccino came one way, at one government-regulated price. To the barista my friend replied, “What you are describing is no longer a cappuccino.” With a wink and a “Ciao!” we left.

We Americans are obsessed with reinventing everything, even longtime classics like cappuccino and….. hummus. Loosely defined, hummus is a protein-rich chickpea spread, made creamy with tahini (middle eastern sesame seed paste). In fact, “hummus” actually means “chickpea” in Arabic. But in this case, the spread is just as delicious when made with various beans like white beans and… edamame. So here’s my breakfast riff on this green spread that has been showing up on grocery store shelves right beside the artichoke, spinach, roasted red pepper, and yes, the classic chickpea hummus.

6-8 servings

INgredients

¾ cup cooked, shelled edamame

scant 1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)

½ cup + 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice or to taste

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon sea salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

¼ teaspoon cumin (optional)

¼ cup fresh chopped parsley or watercress (or both)

drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive oil (EVOO)

¼ cup pine nuts

dry roasted Paprika Olives for garnish, optional

Puffed corn cakes 

Process

1. Steam edamame (either in shells or not) for about 5 minutes until they are soft.
2. Shell the edamame and reserve ¼ cup of the edamame for garnish. Place the rest in a blender or food processor with the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin (if using) and parsley.  
3. Process or blend until smooth. If too thick, add lukewarm water, one Tablespoon at a time.

4. Spread on thin corn cakes and serve.   Garnish with parsley and/or olives.      

You may also serve it with cut raw vegetables (carrots, celery, cucumbers, pink or daikon radish) and fresh, warm pita, cut in wedges.

Store leftover hummus in a tight lidded container for up to 4 days.

©Nancy Wolfson-Moche 2015