Roasted pepper hummus and a fantastic story about the beginning of March

March the 1 st is a special day around here. Not only because the spring finds again a place in the calendars’ of the new year, but also because with this day  starts a tricky time for all the people. ”Babele” (old women), as we call the first 9 days of March, mark a magic time around here, cause now is the time when Dochia, an old mythical woman, dressed in nine winter coats, climbs her sheep in the mountains. As the climbing is difficult and Dochia gets warm, she starts to undress one, by one, day by day all her winter coats so when she touches the top of the mountain, in March the 9’th, she has no coats left, so, because of the bad weather, she dies of freezing. Then transforms into a stone.

foto source: www.interferente.ro

Dochia is not a good woman. She is a bad, whimsical person, who treats badly her daughter in law. That’s why destiny is cruel with her and the first nine days of March are so tricky. Because now is the time when one day might be really warm, then freezing the next one.

But the magic doesn’t stop here, cause during this time, the spells have more power than in a regular day, so people are doing everything they can to protect themselves. This is how Mărțișor appeared. The tradition of Mărțișor is old. Really old. Even since Roman Empire, when people used to wear a small silver coin bound to their wrist, then, in March the 9’th, when the tricky days were over they used to tie the coin into a tree.

White and red are the colors of the wire Mărțișor has, and even today the small silver coin transformed into flowers, butterflies, handmade small jewelries, people say the wire is the important one. Not only because it gives protection to the wearer, but also because the white, the good, keeps tied up and doesn’t let go freely into the world, the red, symbolizing the bad.

During this magical  period people around here use to choose one day, one babushka, from March the 1’st, until March the 9’th and if the weather is good and the sun is shining in the chosen time, then their year is going to be good. But if the weather is bad….you can imagine.

Full of magic is the beginning of March with ancient myths and superstitions, but we can always simplify the oh, so complicated things, right in our kitchen with a different kind of magic and spells. By simply mix together some simple ingredients to create a fabulous dish.

Something light. Something simple. Something tasty. Something white. Something red. Exactly like our magical Mărțișor.

Roasted Sweet Pepper Hummus

2016-03-02 18:21:12

Serves 4

a deliciously simple dip

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

5 min

Total Time

10 min

Prep Time

PT5M

Cook Time

PT5M

Total Time

PT10M

Ingredients

1. * 1 sweet pepper
2. * 1/2 can of chickpea
3. * 1 garlic clove
4. * some water from the chickpea
5. * salt to taste
6. * pepper to taste
7. * lemon juice to taste
8. * 1 table spoon of extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Roast the pepper in a pan on high heat, then sprinkle some salt over and cover it for 2 minutes (you'll be able to remove its skin easier and faster).
2. Remove the skin and seeds of the pepper, then cut it into small cubes
3. In a food processor or in a mortar grind the garlic clove, then add the chickpea and the roasted pepper. Grind well everything until you have a thick puree
4. Add in this puree the olive oil, chickpea water from the can until you have a nice thick paste.
5. Add the lemon juice, the salt and pepper to taste.
6. Decorate your hummus with chickpea and olive oil

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