Oh, life. How do you manage to be both crazy and awesome simultaneously? I have spent the past several weeks as a ball of excitement and anxiety. Perhaps because I’ve grown too used to cushy freelance life, so when I actually have to do big, out-of-the-ordinary things, all I want is for a fainting couch to appear in my room and a mint julep to materialize in my hand. (And also for my room to be a completely different room. One with a view of something that isn’t a city street, and that doesn’t contain what appears to be the remnants of a bomb made of dishes, clothes, and cardboard boxes.) Or perhaps it’s because I said “yes” to a lot of things all at once. Yes to shoots in the days preceeding and following the workshop Eva and I hosted in upstate NY. Yes to cutting my avocado food/prop sourcing time down to one absolutely insane day so I could spend a couple days in the Adirondacks instead (worth it). Oh and my birthday happened somewhere amidst all of that? Interesting.
Perhaps it was simply my stress highs leading to equally strong feelings of relief. Or maybe it was the fact that things like not getting the three dozen glass candle orbs you ordered in time for your workshop or not knowing if you have a cooler large enough to transport all the amazing products that Vermont Creamery sent you down to NY aren’t exactly serious problems. But either way, despite all of my anxieties, I had the most amazing, rewarding couple of weeks. Both shoots went really well. (Not just omg-I’m-glad-that’s-over well, but wow-that-was-fun-and-we-got-some-great-shots well.) I had a mega fun birthday with all of my favorite people. But most of all, I had THE most wonderful time at our fall workshop. I met so many awesome people. We ate super yummy food. We took pictures of everything. I can’t wait to share that post with you next week. (And you can hop over to Summer’s blog O&O Eats and check out her post about the weekend in the meantime.) But right now I’m going to talk to you about something else I’ve been crazy excited about for a long time: the Top With Cinnamon cookbook!
Izy probably needs no introduction to most, but if you aren’t aware of this amazing young woman already: She has a killer blog called Top With Cinnamon. She won the Saveur Editor’s Choice for Best Food Blog in the Baking & Desserts category this year. She wrote and photographed a beautiful cookbook filled with a zillion recipes that I want to make and eat RIGHT NOW. Oh, and she’s only 18. Eighteen!! When I was 18, I was doing things like bleaching my hair over the sink in my college dorm and discovering that being a vegetarian that doesn’t like vegetables doesn’t make you healthy, but it definitely makes you fat. So yeah, to say that this gal is talented would be an understatement.
I knew pretty much immediately what I wanted to make from Izy’s book for this post. (Though the Wholegrain Double Chocolate Muffins and Raspberry Frangipane Cake were also calling my name pretty loudly.) There are tons of delicious sweets in this book, but there are a near-equal number of awesome savory recipes. And the Chickpea & Pomegranate Dip spoke to me as soon as I saw it. It’s many of my favorite things (chickpeas, pomegranate, feta, cilantro, mint) combined together into my most favorite meal. (Snack-lunch/dinner is a totally valid and respectable meal; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.) And obv I had to make the Tasty Pitta Chips to go with it, because what’s a dip without chips?
Both the dip and the chips are beyond delicious. (Real quote: “Is there MSG on these chips? Is that why I can’t stop eating them?”) I even put the red onion in the dip (progress!), though I accidentally (or subconsciously) left it out of the ingredients shot. I recommend making a double batch of both the chips and the dip, as they will disappear very quickly. And then go grab a copy of Izy’s book if you haven’t already!
Tasty Pitta Chips
reprinted with permission from Top With Cinnamon, by Izy Hossack (Hardie Grant, $29.95)
serves: 4–6
3 wholemeal (whole-wheat) pitta breads
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried mixed herbs (e.g. thyme, basil and oregano)
a few springs of fresh thyme (optional)
a generous pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Toast the pitta breads in a toaster until they just puff up (you’ll need to turn them around so each end gets toasted).
Cut along the edge of each toasted pitta bread tot split it in half and then cut each half into 16 strips. Place on a baking tray and drizzle with the oil. Sprinkle with the herbs, salt and pepper. Bake for 3–5 minutes until just crisp and slightly browned.
Chickpea & Pomegranate Dip
reprinted with permission from Top With Cinnamon, by Izy Hossack (Hardie Grant, $29.95)
serves: 4
400g (14 oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses, plus more to serve
1/2 tsp flaky salt
a generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 jalapeños, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
3 tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped
100g (3 1/2 oz / 1/2 cup) feta, crumbled
a handful of pomegranate seeds
Place the chickpeas, oil, pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper in a blender and pulse briefly until combined but still slightly chunky (alternatively place them in a large bowl and mash using a potato masher or fork).
Transfer to a bowl and stir in the rest of the ingredients, reserving a little feta and some of the pomegranate seeds. Drizzle with extra pomegranate molasses and serve with the reserved pomegranate seeds and feta scattered on top.