Hummus has become as ubiquitous as salsa on the dip table. I occasionally buy hummus, but it tends to be a little salty for my palate and remember — I failed organic chemistry in college — so I have no earthly idea what “Potassium Sorbate” is. Also, I am now a little suspicious of “Natural Flavors” after a Facebook posting about the use of beaver castoreum as a food additive (yes, I will eat raw oysters but no, I will not lick a beaver’s butt). So, I like to make my own hummus.

A few months ago, I visited this hole-in-wall middle eastern grocer/butcher looking for lamb ribs at my husband’s request (they were okay, but super gamey, and we won’t be barbecuing that cut again). I purchased this amazing condiment  — preserved lemon. They are whole lemons preserved in a salty brine. I guess you’d call them pickled? You take them out of the brine, rinse them, slice them in half or quarters, pull the pulp from the pith/rind, and then slice them smaller as needed for your recipe. Over the winter I had done some lovely oven braises of lamb shoulder with tomatoes and this preserved lemon. It adds a deep lemony flavor without adding acidity — really nice with the lamb.

So come warmer weather, the lemons are hanging out in the back of my fridge, and I decided to amp up my basic hummus preparation with these babies. OMG — just the right touch to take your hummus to the next level.

Hummus with Preserved Lemons

2 – 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 preserved lemons, rinsed, pulp discarded, sliced into smaller pieces
Two cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained, BUT reserve about 1/4 cup of the canning liquid
2 – 4 tablespoons tahini
2 – 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Throw the garlic and lemon in the food processor and pulse until fine. I say 2 – 4 cloves of garlic because I like mine REALLY garlicky — others might like it a little milder.

Add the chickpeas and pulse until finely chopped but not mush (I like to keep some chickpea texture). Add 2 tablespoons each of the tahini and olive oil and whir around — adding tahini and/or olive oil until the desired texture. I say 2 – 4 tablespoons of tahini because it can vary in texture and you might need to add a little more or a little less to taste and preference. IF needed, add the canning liquid a tablespoon at a time to lighten up the texture.

Taste for seasoning. You may need a touch of kosher salt, but watch it, because the lemons add a fair amount of salt. Refrigerate until ready to use — the flavors will meld together after a few hours in the fridge.

Serve with sturdy dippers — like toasted pita chips, “scooper-style” tortilla chips, or thick pretzels.

7/10: Updated to add notes about canning liquid

Although my parents come from humble beginnings in Arkansas, I don’t remember ever seeing grits on our table. I don’t remember seeing them at my grandparents, either. My mom doesn’t care for them, she says, so I wasn’t really introduced to them until an adult. I probably wouldn’t have cared for them as a child — but man am I a fan now! I adore them for breakfast, simply prepared with butter, salt, and fresh ground pepper. I like them as a side dish, rich with cheese. I like them baked with garlic and chili peppers and eggs and (yes) more cheese! I also like their Italian cousin, Polenta.

I had shrimp and grits in a restaurant once. It was delicious, but $30 for what was a pile of (over-salted) grits and four shrimp, well, I felt a little gypped. After all, shrimp and grits started as simple coastal cooking — not haute cuisine. I knew I could whip this out at home and create a dish more in line with its humble beginnings.

Cheesy Stone-Ground Grits

Let’s start with our base — the grits. I used South Carolina-sourced stone ground white corn grits. I prepared it as directed on the package to serve four: 4 1/2 cups water, 1 cup grits, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Put it all in a pot and brought to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, I covered it, turned heat town to low/medium-low, and set timer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, adjusting the heat if it seems to be simmering too vigorously. Mine took closer to 60 or 65 minutes to get creamy and done — but that’s been my experience with this brand of grits. Once done, I added 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and about a cup of shredded cheddar. Stir until the butter and cheese are melted.

I have made perfectly tasty cheese grits with the grocery store variety in the canister that takes 15 – 20 minutes to cook. Just use the water/grits ratio for four servings as directed on the package (I seem to be out — so I will try to nab that info at a later date).

Corn and Zucchini “Succotash”

This is one of those “use it up” accompaniments that came together because I didn’t want to waste produce in the fridge. I had four ears of grilled corn from the previous weekend — so I stripped the kernels off of those with a chef’s knife. I had two medium zucchini that I cut in half, then vertically into quarters, and then into little “triangles”.

Throw a couple tablespoons of bacon fat into a large skillet and melt down. Add the corn and zucchini. Sprinkle with kosher salt (lightly) and fresh ground pepper (generously). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini starts to soften but still has some tooth, maybe 7 to 10 minutes. I covered it for some of the time just to let steam do some of the cooking work.

You could use butter instead of bacon fat, but the bacon fat is part of the original dish, so I wanted to incorporate that unctuous, salty, smoky flavor that paired so well with the smoky grilled corn.

Roasted Shrimp

I saw this general technique for cooking shrimp on an episode of Barefoot Contessa. It is now my go-to method for cooking shrimp that will be served as the “star” or standalone. They don’t get rubbery and the taste and texture of the shrimp really shine. These make a lovely shrimp cocktail — warm or chilled.

Preheat your oven to 375F. Line a large cookie sheet with foil.

Start with one pound of peeled, be-headed, deveined shrimp. I use 21/25 count. You could go a little smaller or a little larger, but this is not the best method for really large or really small shrimp. Spread the shrimp in a single layer on the lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil (a tablespoon or so?), then sprinkle with kosher salt (lightly), fresh ground pepper (generously), and some red pepper flakes (to taste).

Put the shrimp in the oven. Check the shrimp at about 3 or 4 minutes — they should be turning pink and slightly opaque. Flip them over with tongs and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Pull them when they look NOT QUITE done — there will be some carry-over cooking as they rest on the counter.

So if you started the grits, then started the “succotash”, then roasted off the shrimp, HOPEFULLY it all came together at about the right time.

Scoop some of those grits into a large soup bowl. Spoon some of the corn and zucchini over the grits, then pile the shrimp over those. Spoon some of the shrimp’s cooking “juice” over the shrimp (I’ve been known to sop that up with bread). Serves 4 as a main dish (about 6 good-sized shrimp each) or 8 as a first course (3 shrimp each).