Pipitza and Mayocoba Bean Hummus

Pipitza. Pipicha. Chepiche. It goes by a few different names, this Oaxacan herb. A Farmer's market find.

Bubbling with enthusiasm, the farmer selling these at the market picked off a whole three-finger pinch of the wispy tarragon-like tender leaves from a fresh and dewy bunch and urged me to munch right then. Which I did. And boy was I in for a pleasant surprise! It exploded with flavor, unlike any other herb I have tried straight-up.

Of course, seeing how 'adventurous' I was, he also tore off a medium-sized papalo leaf and had me imitate a ruminating goat again.

Needless to say, I came home with a bunch of Pipitza and a bunch of Papalo and a bunch of Quelite plus a big grin on my face, along with recipe ideas the bubbling farmer had shared so eagerly.

This "hummus" recipe here was not one of them that he shared, but, this came about naturally in my kitchen as it seemed like a pita and hummus kind of day.

Mayocoba aka Peruano beans is one of my favorites for its mild flavor and meaty body which squishes to a creamy mush when pressure-cooked.

Very much like standard Chickpeas-and-Tahini hummus, this Pipitza and Peruano/MayoCoba bean hummus follows a simple recipe. As is my wont, I didn't measure accurately, resorting to add a little of this and a little of that until my taste buds nodded in approval.

Ingredients
2 to 2½ cups cooked mayocoba beans
¼ cup tahini
6 to 8 cloves of garlic
juice of one medium lemon, plus zest
2 Tablespoon pipitza leaves, plus a teaspoon chopped finely for garnish
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (more or less)
¼ cup olive oil
salt to taste

Blend to a coarse ( or smooth!) dip, adding more of this or less of that to suit your taste, and enjoy with pita and crudités.

Eggplant Roll Ups

So many ways to enjoy the incomparable eggplant, each with its own special merits.

These eggplant roll ups are easy to make. They work best with large globe eggplant, but I like making it with the long neon or japanese and chinese eggplant as well.

Eggplant Slices:
Slice the eggplant uniformly thin, brush with oil, sprinkle some salt and arrange in a roasting pan.
Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes in a 425 °F oven till soft and cooked but not falling apart.

Filling:
Anything goes. But here, I went with a mix of feta, cream cheese, chopped onions, chopped bell pepper, grated carrots, chopped olives, plus some red leaf lettuce for layering. Combine all but the lettuce and stir well to spreadable consistency.

Assembly:
Lay a slice of baked eggplant on a plate. Place a layer of lettuce leaves. Spread some of the filling mixture. And roll up the eggplant slice. Seal the end with some of the cream cheese filling.

Serve with tahini yogurt dressing.