Easy Naan and Jerusalem Artichoke Hummus

Greetings and Salutations! What a wild year March has been! I took a break from the normal days of hand washing and staring out the window at squirrels to celebrate my birthday.

35, when did THAT happen!?

MMMMM my traditional Angel Food Cake! This year I had blueberry sauce drizzled over the top.

As we are deep into shelter in place, curfews, and general lockdown status, I was afraid my birthday would be a bust. My fantastic parents who live within an hours drive of me offered to have me spend the night and celebrate as a family. I went from my house to their house and we stayed put. We played Rummikub, cooked, investigated a woodpecker nest in the yard, and simply enjoyed spending time together. As simple as it was, it was incredibly special. I am blessed to have the family I do.

So! Now, another year wiser I am continuing my kitchen adventures. My mom gets a misfits market produce box regularly and this time she got the MADNESS box. That's 22 lbs of fresh fruits and veg y'all. She split it with me and so I have ingredients I've never even looked at twice. (I was NOT sad she offered to share her bounty with me! Thanks, Mom!)

First test? Jerusalem Artichokes. I had no idea what they were or how they tasted. I had heard of them along my kitchen adventures, but that was the extent of it. Fun fact- Jerusalem Artichokes and Sunchokes are one in the same! Whatever you call them, they are yummy.

Jerusalem Artichoke AKA Sunchokes are a root vegetable

After I did some research, I found they are a quite versatile little root vegetable. I decided to make a hummus with them. After roasting, the skins peel off very easily and they smell just like artichokes. Word to the wise- they do cause some, uh, flatulence, so maybe don't serve this at a fancy pants dinner... But the flavor is well worth it! The longer it sits, the more artichoke flavor comes out.

Mmmmm creamy, artichoke-y, lemony hummus

After I made the hummus I realized I need a vehicle to eat said hummus. I found a super easy recipe for yeast free Naan and made some alterations to fit my needs. I will never buy store bought Naan ever again! This is so easy and the flavor is so much better!

Warm, soft Naan!

I hope you are all staying healthy! Go have your own kitchen adventure. Its a perfect time to experiment.

Cheers!

Jerusalem Artichoke Hummus

3-4 medium Jerusalem Artichokes
1 (15oz) can of garbanzo beans, rinsed
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1 TBS parsley
salt, pepper, paprika, and lemon pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Wash artichokes well. Wrap in a parchment paper pouch, and place in a baking dish, seam sides down. (you can use foil for this if you choose) Roast in the oven for 45 minutes until very soft. Let cool.

Once the artichokes are cool enough to handle, remove the skins.

Place the flesh in a blender with all remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. You may need to add some water if too thick. Add 1-2 TBS at a time, pulse the mix to slowly incorporate.

Serve with fresh naan or pita chips.



Easy Naan Bread

Makes 6 small flat breads


1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 scant teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon milk
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup plain sour cream


Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium large bowl.

In a microwave safe container, melt butter. Add milk and return to microwave. Heat until warmed through, do not allow to boil or get overly hot.

Add sour cream and stir into warm milk until smooth.

Make a well in the dry ingredients. Pour in sour cream mixture. Stir gently until the ingredients come together.

Using your hands, knead the dough in the bowl to form a soft ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and no longer sticky. You may need to add flour as you go. Dough will be soft! DON'T OVER WORK!

Let the dough rest for ½ hour on a lightly-floured surface and put the empty bowl upside-down on top of it. The longer the dough rests, the softer it gets and the easier it will roll out.

Split dough into 6 equal parts, shape each into a ball and roll out.

Rotate the dough-disk while rolling, and flip it over occasionally. Sprinkle with flour every now and then, so it will not stick to your rolling pin or surface. You want your disks to be about 1/8 inch thick.

Preheat skillet or griddle to medium high heat. Do not add any oil or fats.

Gently transfer your naan to the cook top you are using. Cook until bubbles have formed on top and the bottom side gets lightly nicely browned. Then flip, and cook until done, about 1 minute.

When each nann bread is cooked, rest it between two clean kitchen towels or in a lefse cozy, keeping them warm while baking the rest. As you add each completed naan, flip and rotate the resting breads to allow steam to keep working its way through the breads. This keeps the breads nice and soft!

Once cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature.