Kitchen Scoop: Ease of hummus suited to a new, smaller kitchen
Well, I've done it again and moved! That's five moves in six years. I've stopped saying I'll never move again; seems like someone wants me to achieve some kind of moving award. Anyway, I'm setting up another kitchen, squeezing in items I collected over the last 18 months at the larger place. I'm loath to give anything away, and yet as I sit among the boxes still unpacked, I know I don't have space to keep everything.
Kitchen organization 101, as I wrote 20 years ago, means getting back to compact “centers.” So my coffee center is all set. But let's be honest — it was the first one I set up! And my baking center is all set, even though the muffin tins, cake and tart pans are in plastic bins in a bedroom closet, and the cupcake liners, icing tips and specialty spatulas are in a basket. But when I bake, I pull out my bins and baskets, and my baking center is ready to go.
I don't have countertop room or cabinet space for my most prized kitchen appliances: my vintage KitchenAid mixer and my combination blender, food processor and smoothie machine, so I purchased a rolling kitchen work table where these gems can be left on the bottom rack and be lifted into service in an instant. Plus, the table serves as additional workspace when I need it.
Today's recipe is a shared by a talented Wilmington, North Carolina, personal chef, Courtney Matheson. It's a yummy, fresh twist on hummus using shelled edamame that is found in the frozen foods section of your grocery store. Its bright green presentation is perfect for spring. And even in my small kitchen, it's a breeze to put together and clean up. I hope you enjoy!
• Alicia Ross is the co-author of “Desperation Dinners!” (Workman, 1997), “Desperation Entertaining!” (Workman, 2002) and “Cheap. Fast. Good!” (Workman, 2006). Contact her at Kitchen Scoop, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106, or send email to tellus@kitchenscoop.com. Or visit the Kitchen Scoop website at www.kitchenscoop.com.