A Picnic with Gal Pals (Lemony Zesty Humus)

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of celebrations. Some large, some small. But each one special in its own way.

The Southern California sun rose slowly this past Sunday to reveal a beautiful day. Warm but not hot. Breezy but not a Santa Ana gale. A perfect day for a picnic, and as luck would have it that is exactly what was in store.

I have been blessed to have many dear friends who first entered my life as professional colleagues. We can be an interesting breed, us PR folk. We can get sucked into our work and sometimes forget to look up and see what is going on around us. Our spouses must be tolerant, our friends forgiving. The good news – most of us play as hard as we work. We love a good time, and know how to throw a damn good party. If I do say so myself.

So on a perfect Southern California Sunday I was excited as I headed to Laguna for a picnic with a small group of Orange County’s finest PR women – who are also some of my very dearest friends.

With our busy lives, this little band of PR (dare I say) divas only gets together once or twice a year. But the bond between is strong. We’ve had our business ups and downs. Lost parents. Gained husbands. Watched our children (all boys) grow up and leave the nest for college. A couple of years ago, one of our little group moved to Memphis; now I’m also heading to the southeast.

I love these wonderful women. I love their strength. I love their passion. Their humor and also their conviction in what they believe.

I also love the fact that they can pull together a picnic like the one we had Sunday with absolutely no effort. A veritable feast of appetizers and chocolate, complete with French champagne, a dry Italian rose and a sip or two of California merlot (to round out that chocolate course).

Here’s the humus I contributed, which pairs quite well with champagne. I hope you make it for friends and enjoy it as much as we did.

Lemony Zesty Humus

Note, this does not call for tahini paste. I read the back of the jar and decided that there is just too much fat, especially when you add all the olive oil. Plus, it’s pricy. This is surprisingly good without it. Very fresh and a bit lighter than normal.

Ingredients

• 1, 15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1, 15 oz can cannellini or white northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 small or 1 large clove garlic, grated with a micro-plane or crushed into a paste with a large knife and a bit of salt
• 2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted in a skillet until fragrant and cooled
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ½ cup flat leaf parsley (whole leaves – a bit of the stem is OK, just rip off a handful and eyeball it.)
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• A handful (1/4 cup or so) pomegranate seeds, if available (this is how I serve this in the late fall/winter when they are in season)

Method:

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse until combined and crumbly:

• The drained beans
• Garlic
• Cumin
• Lemon juice and zest
• Salt

Now set the processor to the continuous mix setting

• Stream in the olive oil
• Stop and scrape down the sides
• Pulse a few times more.
• Add the parsley
• Whirl until smooth.

Adjust seasoning to taste.

Spoon into the center of a plate, about a half-inch to one inch thick, with a drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with cracked pepper. Scatter the pomegranate seeds if you are using the.

Serve with crusty bread, pita wedges and/or veggies.

Enjoy.