FRITTATA: GREEN BEANS, MUSHROOMS, WALNUTS, OLIVES

This easy frittata with green beans, walnuts, mushrooms, olives, and a bit of feta cheese is a quick breakfast or brunch meal that can be made with as many or as few ingredients as you have at hand. It's great hot or cold, which makes it a terrific dish for picnics, potlucks, and road trips!

I added the last little bit of a delicious French feta I had, but feel free to add no cheese, or any other cheese you prefer. Or stir in any kind of pesto after adding the eggs. I typically don't care for meat, especially at the first meal of the day, but you can definitely add smoked trout, sausage, proscuitto, diced chicken, or whatever other meat you want.

Frittata: Green Beans, Mushrooms, Walnuts, Olives
makes: 3 servings

- 6 eggs
- 1 handful green beans, blanched
- 1 shallot (or small onion), sliced
- 6-8 crimini mushrooms, sliced (or any other mushrooms)
- 1/4 cup walnut halves
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- 1/4 cup whole pitted olives
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. olive oil

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan/skillet on medium heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl and lightly beat with a fork.
2. When the oil is heated, add the sliced mushrooms and shallots. Sauté.
3. Turn the heat to low, add the eggs and quickly swirl the pan to spread the eggs in the entire pan.
4. Turn the heat up to medium and arrange the remaining vegetables and walnuts around the pan so they're all more or less in a single layer. Arrange the feta between all the vegetables.
5. Cook until the egg custard is set, about 7-10 minutes, occasionally swirling the pan so the eggs in the centre run around the sides.
6. Turn the heat off and transfer the frittata to a plate or cutting board.
7. Cut into wedges and serve with bread, roasted potatoes, other roasted vegetables, or a salad. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a day.

SKINNY DIPPING: MUTABBAL (AUBERGINE DIP)

Mutabbal, or baba ghanouj as it's more commonly (and some might say erroneously) known, is somewhat similar to the many varieties of baingan bharta, ringan nu bharthu, begun pora, etc. in India, in that they all use roasted aubergine (eggplant). But really the similarity ends there. The flavours and appearance of mutabbal couldn't be more different from any of the Indian roasted eggplant dishes which are heavily spiced, very fragrant, and anything but pale in colour.

Nevertheless, mutabbal is easy to make and delicious as part of a mezze or by itself with some fresh Arabic bread.

Mutabbal or Baba Ghanouj: Aubergine Dip

Makes: approximately 1-1/2 cups

- 1 large aubergine (eggplant)

- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp. tahini
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil

Garnish ideas: a pinch of sumac, 1 tbsp. minced parsley, or 1-2 tbsp. pomegranate arils

1. Rinse the eggplant, cut 3 slits in it, and tuck a garlic clove deep enough into each slit so it doesn't fall out during roasting.
2. Roast the eggplant in one of the following ways till it's completely charred, very soft, and shriveled (see the photo above):
1. Directly on a medium flame if you have a gas stove, turning occasionally to cook evenly.
2. On a grill.
3. In a pan in the oven at 400 F/200 C. 
3. Remove the roasted eggplant from the heat. When it is cool enough to handle, rince and cut the eggplant in half and scrape the roasted flesh and garlic into the bowl of a food processor. Discard the skin and stem.
4. Put all the other ingredients (except garnishes) into the food processor and pulse a few times to get a chunky dip or more to get a smooth dip. Taste and adjust salt and lemon.
5. Spread the mutabbal in serving plate, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with parsley, pomegranate arils, or a sprinkling of sumac. Serve warm or chilled with Arabic bread.

SKINNY DIPPING: SYRIAN ZUCCHINI DIP

A perfect easy dip for late spring or summer when zucchini are abundant. It taste great warm, at room temperature or chilled. And as all good dips often do, it tastes terrific the next day after all the flavours have known each other for a bit.

Serve by itself with any good Arabic bread or as a part of a mezze with hummus, roasted red pepper and walnut dip (muhammara), feta, and olives.

Mfarakit Kusa: Syrian Zucchini Dip

Makes: approximately 1-1/2 - 2 cups

- 4 small-medium zucchini, grated or very finely diced

- 1 small (1/2 cup) yellow or white onion, diced

- 4 cloves garlic, crushed into a coarse paste

- 2 tbsp. olive oil

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 1 tbsp. dried mint or dill

- 1 tbsp. minced parsley (optional)

- 2 tsp. salt

- 1-2 tbsp. olive oil, for garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook till translucent, about 4 - 5 minutes. 
3. Add the zucchini and stir.
4. Cook till the onions and zucchini are very soft and easily mash. Zucchini release water when cooked so cook till the water evaporates. Turn the heat to High if needed for a couple of minutes to let all water evaporate.
5. Stir in the mint / dill and lemon juice, salt to taste, and parsley, if using.
6. Put 1 cup of the dip in a shallow dish or bowl, spread with the back of a spoon into a flattish layer.
7. Serve garnished with a generous drizzle of 1 tbsp. or more olive oil.

SKINNY DIPPING: HUMMUS

Hummus is such a favourite of mine! I make it very often when I'm in town consistently. When I'm in town inconsistently, I get hummus nearly everyday at lunch from a Mediterranean restaurant near office. Along with hummus I also get grape leaves, baba ghanouj, olives, and salad from there, but that's another story. Suffice to say I eat mostly vegetarian and mostly Mediterranean food - and I don't get tired of it.

Hummus is: chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon, salt. Drizzled with good olive oil.

Hummus is not: blended with any "flavours". No kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, spinach, artichokes, etc. Cilantro and chipotle? Yikes!

You can add whatever you want to your dip including chickpeas, and I'm sure it's delicious, but it's not hummus. It's some other dip, by any other name. I do it too, and I make up names for those dips.

Hummus: Chickpea Dip with Tahini

Makes: approximately 3-1/2 cups

- 2 cups dried garbanzos/chickpeas

- 1/3 cup tahini

- 4 cloves garlic

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 2-1/2 tsp. salt

- 3-4 tbsp. olive oil, for garnish

1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl. 
2. Add enough water to cover the chickpeas by 2-3 inches. They will absorb water and swell so you need abundant water for soaking.
3. Let the chickpeas soak for up to 24 hours, but at least 4 hours.
4. Drain the water and cook the chickpeas in one of the following ways:
1. Pressure cook
2. Slow-cook on low overnight - chickpeas and just enough water to cover by 1 inch
3. Boil on the stove for 1 hour or till very soft
5. Drain most of the cooking water and let the chickpeas cool till just cool enough to blend. To get a smooth hummus you want to blend the chickpeas while the skin is still soft. You can obviously make hummus with refrigerated chickpeas but it will be slightly grainy - still delicious! Or, you can warm up the chickpeas with a bit of water so everything's softened up.
6. Put the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 3/4 cup of the cooking water or fresh water into a blender.
7. Blend to get a very smooth puree.
8. Add more water in 1/4 cup increments if needed to help with blending. The hummus will get thicker as the chickpea puree absorbs some water.
9. Adjust salt and lemon to taste.
10. Put 1 cup of the hummus in a shallow dish or bowl, spread with the back of a spoon into a flattish layer.
11. Garnish with a generous drizzle of 2 tbsp. olive oil and: paprika, minced parsley, or boiled chickpeas.
12. Repeat with the remaining hummus or refrigerate for 3-4 days.
13. Serve cool or chilled with any good Arabic bread.