Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Light and creamy hummus
Q. Recently my friend shared My Big Fat Greek Restaurant’s hummus with me and it is out of this world. I would love to surprise her with the recipe along with some of their homemade hummus as a thank you. I would be very grateful if you could get the recipe for me, please and thank you. — William Goodman, Oakland Park
A.
Co-owners Aphrodite Papadopulos and Sarantis Boutsikos opened the doors to My Big Fat Greek Restaurant (3445 Griffin Road, Davie, 954-961-5030, mbfgr.com), in 2006 and immediately became known for their hospitality and authentic Greek family recipes from generations past. Word spread quickly among locals and regulars soon became known by name.
Boutsikos, originally from Athens, Greece, worked under master chefs in Galaxidi, Delphi, Mykonos and Athens before accepting a position in Queens, N.Y., in 1973, where he met Aphrodite. In search of a better quality of life at a slower pace, the pair moved to South Florida in 1980. Boutsikos insists on using only the finest ingredients, preferring fresh herbs and olive oils and Dodonis feta cheese imported from Greece.
Aphrodite handles the dining room bustle while Sarantis, aka “Sam,” takes care of the kitchen. But you won’t find the hummus on the menu. Aphrodite explains, “We serve the hummus and our freshly baked bread complimentary to our guests as soon as they sit down. People love it. We bake the bread fresh every morning and the hummus has a lighter, creamier consistency than a traditional garbanzo bean recipe. Sarantis makes his version with white beans, so it’s not as heavy, and he’s been perfecting it over the years.”
Boutsikos makes huge six-gallon batches of hummus at a time. I’ve scaled the recipe back for home cooks, but feel free to scale further by cutting ingredients in half, if desired.
If you’re interested in My Big Fat Greek Restaurant’s full cultural experience, enjoy live bouzouki music Wednesday through Sunday nights, and belly dancing performances Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Q. My daughter loves the pumpkin bread at Starbucks. It is very moist with just the right amount of spice. Can you please get the recipe so I can make it at home for her and save her a trip and some money? — Shana Gonzalez, Boca Raton
A.
Not sure if the recipe will dissuade your daughter’s Starbucks trips, but it’s worth a try. Starbucks uses several different large-scale bakery vendors for their product lines. Sharing recipes is not in their vernacular.
While most home bakers probably make this loaf seasonally, it’s available year-round in the coffee shop’s display case. The moist texture comes from an oil-based recipe. Research showed there are plenty of copycat recipe versions floating around cyberspace. After reading reviews, I combined the best of the lot and made some adjustments myself. Hope your daughter thinks it’s 5 stars. Mine does.