Il pinzimonio it's a great way to start a meal: colorful vegetables make the table cheerful, satiate hunger pangs, are pleasantly crunchy, resonate and rumble in the mouth when we bite into them, accustom us to prolonged chewing, and are particularly tasty when dipped in the sauce . If we consume the raw vegetables before the main course, we also improve the absorption of the vitamins they contain.
The simplest sauce to prepare is the one based on extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper also with other spices and herbs to taste, in which to dip seasonal vegetables, asparagus, carrots, ribbed salads, radishes, radicchio, artichokes. There are many variations of sauce, from vinegrette to the sauce with mustard.
In the United States I discovered a new way to propose the pinzimonio: on the East and West Coast there is the best of all the gastronomic cultures of the world. And it is overseas that I met one typically Mediterranean recipe, very easy to prepare and really tasty! This is thehummus, sauce of Middle Eastern origin, based on chickpeas and sesame, also very welcome by children. And it is also an easy way to encourage the consumption of legumes!
100 g of chickpeas cooked contain approx 7g of protein, sesame seeds and flax seeds are rich in fatty acids omega 6 and omega 3 and have anti - inflammatory properties.
Together with vegetables, as an appetizer, we can also offer delicious dishes corn triangles, also dipped in the sauce.
HUMMUS at ceci
Average recipe cost 3€ - excluding vegetables
Ingredients for people 4
(to be put one after the other in the food processor, in order to obtain a frothy and creamy sauce):
- 2 tablespoons of tahini sauce (can be found in the ethnic food department, or to be prepared simply by blending 3 tablespoons of lightly toasted sesame seeds in a pan as the first ingredient in the food processor)
- 1 box of ceci already cooked (sometimes for speed, I use pre-cooked ones)
- 1 tbsp flax seed
- mezzo lemon squeezed
- a handful of parsley
- 2 tablespoons of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, possibly fresh
- 1 pinch of salt and pepper
- p and parsley for garnish (optional).
To soften the consistency of the sauce, add a finger of tap water or cooking water ceci. In the States, you buy organic Hummus Crunchy, with a coarser consistency, Smooth, creamy, Roasted Garlic, with roasted garlic, Spicy, spiced with a pinch of chilli, so you can indulge yourself with the variations, perhaps using other legumes instead some chickpeas.
In addition to the appetizer, the Hummus is also suitable for a picnic or you can use it for one healthy snack for children, spread on a slice of bread. It can be kept for a few days in the refrigerator, so it is possible to double the doses. As long as you manage not to eat it all !!
Elena Winch
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