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pretty good for takeout |
Tuesday: another day off. I, again, ventured downtown and while there decided to pick up some takeout for a "surprise" dinner with David. (I'm a self-proclaimed "
non-cook") In West Chelsea, I decided to stop at
Cookshop, whose takeout has
previously proven to be good. From the lunch menu, I simply selected the
hearth stone pizza and
country pâté.
Walking east on 20th Street, my parcels suddenly seemed a bit scant for a party of two. Earlier in the week, I'd told David about a new
Punjab deli I'd discovered on 9th Avenue. I decided to stop there for a couple of
samosas. (
$1.25 each and seasoned with
fennel seeds, they're quite possibly the best I'd ever had!)
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clockwise from top: samosas, provolone piccante and caramelized
onion pizza, homemade hummus, pâté and pickled vegetables
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All in tow, I headed back uptown for a final stop at
PJ Wine for some bubbly to go along with dinner (per David's request). Riding the A train and envisioning the assembled dinner, I decided we needed
one more thing...
I'll make hummus!
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homemade hummus with tahini, ground
cumin and extra-virgin olive oil
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Once home, I searched online for
hummus recipes and came up with my own variation based upon several I'd read. (I mainly followed the one I found on
Food & Wine) I posted on Facebook:
I just made hummus! I can't believe how fun and easy it was! Minutes later, a friend me asked for "the recipe"; here's what I'd sent:
I just combined various recipes I'd read online...
1 cup chickpeas, drained, but not completely (allow about 1 tsp to remain; set aside the remaining liquid)
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
Puree in blender into a chunky consistency. Add 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil. Puree until smooth, add a little more water from the chickpeas if needed then keep adding a little olive oil at a time until you reach your desired consistency. At the same time, also add 1 tsp cumin, a pinch of paprika (smoked if you have it) and salt to taste (up to about a 1/2 tsp). And this 'recipe' is just for one serving. Most of the recipes I'd found were for a full 15 ounce can, so you can just about double everything if you want a larger portion.
I thought my hummus tasted fine and the consistency was pretty much spot-on. After assembling the table, I called David into the kitchen from which he was banished for an hour or so. Seeing it all together, I thought, Maybe it's too much food after all. Yet, David and I managed...
WE BEGAN with the
samosas from
Dil-E-Punjab Deli, which David agreed were quite good, complimenting its pastry shell. (however, I didn't notice any
fennel seeds in my samosa) Next, we tasted Cookshop's
hearth stone pizza with
provolone piccante,
caramelized onions,
arugula and
cracked black pepper--the aroma of the provolone piccante was irresistible! As I tasted my first bite of the
slightly chewy pie, a lot of flavor was packed into that first bite; I even thought it rivaled
The Plaza Food Hall's pizzas, which in my opinion (as far as "restaurant pizzas" are concerned) are pretty hard to beat.
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Cookshop's country pâté with three mustards |
Moving clockwise, we went on to taste the
country pâté, with
toasted bread (placed delicately in a recycled
Mondel chocolates box, lined with paper). I'd previously had Cookshop's (country) pâté and while I always thought it tasted fine,
this one surpassed the others with a
density of flavor. The
three mustards, as always, were good--but they never state on the menu what the different preparations are... We enjoyed the pâté and hummus, side by side, before finally moving onto the
pickled vegetables (included with the pâté) which we were both
mad about! (although I shouldn't have let them settle to room temperature)
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what's wrong with this picture? |
Perhaps the only flub of the night was the California "champagne" I'd picked up at
PJ Wine. (my own fault for being too much of a bargain hunter) I was planning to bring home a bottle of
Jaume Serra "
Cristalino," which sells at PJ for a mere
$6.97. (it is "decent"--I'd seen it served at more than a couple of gallery receptions and my wine professor
has served it for large parties at his summer house) Alas, they were all out of the Cristalino. However, I did notice
Tott's "
brut," on a lower shelf for a mere
$6.43. I was apprehensive (I'd never tried it before), but it was only about a dollar less than the
Marquis de la Tour--
Brasserie 8 1/2's house sparkler. Maybe it would be alright...
I poured a glass for David and a taste for myself. Brut it was not. It was more like a sec or perhaps even demi-sec! It was disappointing to drink this throughout our meal, but I would have it again--for an end of dinner toast or with dessert--but never again with dinner, or as an apéritif. Mon Dieu!