Happy Groundhog’s Day! I love this holiday. It’s completely frivolous, it revolves around a small furry animal, and I’m not expected to buy anyone a gift. Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow this year. I go by Phil. Staten Island Chuck is a copycat. But you can follow whichever one you want. But I go by Phil, who’s saying its’ going to be an early spring. I’m very excited. But…anyone besides me hear the groundhog says it’s going to be an early spring and immediately think “bikini season”? This will help get you ready. High protein, low carb, and tons of flavor to keep you from getting bored. If you want to give it a kick, add a tsp. of wasabi to it.
ingredients for edamame dip:
- 1/4 c. tahini, preferably homemade
- 2 tbl. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
- 1 tbl. soy sauce
- 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups edamame, cooked and cooled
ingredients for crackers:
- 2 c. unbleached flour
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
- 1 tbl. + 1 tsp. sesame seeds
- 1 tbl. vegetable shortening, at room temperature
- 2 tbl. butter, unsalted and cold
- 1/2 c. heavy cream
To make your own tahini, put 4 cups of sesame seeds onto a baking sheet and put in the oven at 350°. (If you are making the crackers, toast those sesame seeds now.) Toast for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t let them get brown or fragrant. Take out of oven and let cool. Put in a food processor with 3/4 c. of olive oil. Puree for approximately 5 minutes until tahini is smooth. Add up to another 1/4 c. of oil if it needs it.
To make the dip, cook the edamame in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Cook them longer than the package directions to make them very soft to puree. When edamame has cooled, combine lemon juice,ginger, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor and run until garlic and ginger is minced. Add tahini and 1/4 c. water. Run until smooth. Add edamame. With food processor running, slowly drizzle in the oil. Run processor for 5 minutes until dip has a creamy texture.
To make the crackers, combine the flour, sugar, salt, pepper and 1 tbl. of sesame seeds in the food processor. Set aside the final tsp. of sesame seeds for later. Pulse to combine. Add the shortening and butter and pulse into mixture forms coarse crumbs. Pour in the cream and pulse to combine. Turn out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Form the dough into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
When the dough is ready, cut into 2 pieces. Preheat oven to 350°. Roll out each piece very thin on a well floured surface. Sprinkle kosher salt and remaining sesame seeds onto the surface of the dough. Use your rolling-pin to gently press the salt and seeds into the dough. Transfer dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 12- 15 minutes until edges are starting to brown. Remove from oven, let cool for 1 minute and cut into crackers.
