Chef Leroy Walker of Bistro 234 in Turlock, California, signed up for a home economics cooking class as a way to get an easy grade in 8th grade. After noticing he was the only boy in a class of 26, he inevitably took home economics again his freshman year at Turlock High School.
But something happened along the way: Leroy realized he loved cooking. His home ec teacher introduced him to the chef of the Regional Occupational Program, and Leroy started catering, but he really learned the ropes of running a restaurant at Turlock High’s campus restaurant. He has worked in restaurants ever since and has been at Bistro 234 since shortly after it opened in 2001.
He uses dry garbanzos, black beans, navy beans, and blackeye peas to make soups, hummus, and chili at the restaurant. Leroy likes the starchy thickness dry beans impart on the dishes he prepares.
Leroy likes to cook both for his customers and for his own satisfaction. “When I see the customer happy and repetitively coming back, I know that my instinct was right about a dish,” he says.
Leroy shared the Bistro’s delicious hummus recipe, which he serves with chicken sausage.
Fresh Roasted Cumin Spiced Hummus with Grilled Chicken Apple Sausage
Ingredients
15 ounce can garbanzos or 1½ cups cooked garbanzos
1 large lemon, juiced
1/3 cup good-quality tahini
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon roasted and ground cumin (recipe follows) or high-quality ground cumin
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt
2-3 tablespoons quality olive oil
Pinch of paprika for plating
2-3 links chicken apple sausage
Directions:
- Drain garbanzos but reserve the liquid. (Save a little of the cooking liquid if working with dried garbanzos). Place the garbanzos in a large bowl and fill with water until all garbanzos are covered. Place your hands in the bowl and rub the beans between your hands to loosen the skins; it will take a minute, but you will get the hang of it. Discard as much of the skins as possible. This will make the hummus much smoother and silkier with less bitterness.
- Place the garlic in a food processor with a steel blade. Process until minced as much as possible, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula several times to make the garlic as smooth as possible.
- Add the garbanzos, tahini, lemon juice and cumin. Pulse several times and then scrape down the sides and pulse several more times. Repeat the scraping process until it begins to turn into a paste. With the processor running, slowly drizzle several tablespoons of the reserved garbanzo liquid until completely smooth. If a looser consistency is desired, add more of the reserved liquid.
- Place sausage over a hot grill and cook according to instructions on the package. Let the sausage rest for a few minutes, then slice on the bias.
- To serve, place hummus in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with paprika. Serve with the sausage, cucumber slices and warm pita bread.
To roast cumin:
Buy a small bag of whole cumin. Place in a heavy bottomed skillet and over medium heat continually stir until very fragrant but not burning or smoking. Quickly dump onto a cookie sheet and let the fresh roasted cumin come to room temperature. Place in a spice grinder and pulse until it turns into a fine powder. You will not use much, so you can place what you don’t use in a resealable bag and store for further use.
