Difficulty Level Easy

Here's a simple way to usher in the summer. Invite a few friends over to celebrate the Solstice with you and have an informal get together with some simple food. Head out to the wine store and get some organic wine and then make this easy hummus. We once spent the Solstice with my sister-in-law in London, England. She lived across the street from Primrose Hill, which is the highest point in London. Sure enough, come evening, Druids took over the Hill in their flowing robes and blue faces and lit a bonfire. It was pretty impressive and my children were totally amazed by the spectacle. For your party, you can make blue face paint optional.

This hummus is very quick to make and has quite a different taste from the traditional recipe which uses tahini. Here the tahini is supplanted by walnuts, to a very delicious effect. I didn't puree it until it was entirely smooth because I liked a bit of crunch from the walnuts. You can use it with pita bread in the usual way, or treat it like a dip for those fabulous spring vegetables that are available now. I'm going to try it with the asparagus and the sugar snap peas I got this week at the farmers' market. Just blanch the vegetables in boiling water for a minute, run cold water over them when they are done and you are ready to go.

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