Twofer Afternoon Snack

Menu Note:
Serve these spreads with whole grain toast (pictured above), crackers, or crudités.

The Ingredients:

• 5 anchovy fillets 
• 350 cc (or 1½ cup) of kalamata olives
• 30 cc (or 2 Tbsp) of capers
• 15 cc (or 1 Tbsp) of anchovy paste
• 15 cc (or 1 Tbsp) of salad grade olive oil

• 160 cc (or ⅔ cup) of dried garbanzo beans
• 1 small onion
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 15 cc (or 1 Tbsp) of ground sage
• 15 cc (or 1 Tbsp) of ground cumin
• 10 cc (or 2 tsp) of paprika
• 10 cc (or 2 tsp) of cayenne pepper
• 120 ml (or ½ cup) of sesame tahini
• 60 ml (or ¼ cup) of lemon juice
• 4 cc (or ¾ tsp) of salt
• Olive oil

The Methods:

Tapenade

The Tapenade

1. Soak the anchovy fillets in a small volume of warm water for 5 min to leach out some of the salt.
2. Drain excess fluid off the anchovies, olives, and capers.
3. Place these three ingredients into a blender or food processor with the anchovy paste and olive oil and grind until the capers and olives are in small pieces and the anchovies are pulverized.

Hummus

The Hummus

1. Soak the garbanzo beans overnight in 700 ml (or 3 cups) of water.
2. Strain the garbanzo beans, add fresh water to cover by at least 5 cm (or 2 inches), and boil for 1 hour.
3. Drain and cool the garbanzo beans and place in a blender or food processor.
4. Chop the onion and garlic and sauté in olive oil over medium heat until the onion is translucent.
5. Add the sage, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper and continue to  sauté for 1 min.
6. Place the onion mixture into the blender or food processor.
7. Add the tahini, lemon juice, and salt, then grind until the hummus is grainy to smooth, adding water if necessary for consistency.

The Story:
In order to maintain a fairly constant blood sugar concentration, diabetics are advised to eat several small meals each day. Although my husband often told his father (also diabetic) to eat this way, he himself could not do this while he was working, leaving the house before 6 AM and getting home after 6 PM, frantically hungry. Even after he retired, my husband refused to eat between about noon and 7 PM, which is my average for getting dinner on the table. I would ask him to "have a snack" but long habit prevailed.

Surrounded by tapas plates in a
Madrid restaurant

On our recent trip to Spain, and on board the ship, we were served tapas every day. These snacks are light, tasty, greatly varied, and pair well with Rioja wines. We both loved this tradition. After we returned home, I began to think of things we could eat as "tapas" that were healthy, tasty, and would fill the gap between lunch and dinner. This tapenade and hummus pairing (with a couple of sardines in the illustration above) has become a staple.

The Mercado de San Miguel in Old Madrid has a huge variety of tapas and
wines but very few places to sit or even stand at a table and eat.