Imported Spanish Torta with Chunky Hummus, Greek Salad, and Tuscan-Style Green Beans

Yesterday before I went shopping for cooking class, I visited a store that sells imported foods, primarily from Greece. I picked up what looked like pricey but recommended Inés Rosales (named after the baker who made this recipe famous in 1910) brand sweet olive oil tortas (Torta de Aceite) imported from Seville, Spain ("handmade since 1910"), an Andalusian traditional lightly sweetened crispy thin biscuit with anise. I thought that I would serve it with hummus, which is what I did tonight.

I made a simple variation on hummus; it's easy enough to make, but I rarely bother as it then requires cleaning the food processor. I purchased some hummus and mixed in strips of sundried tomatoes in oil and herbs, as well as sprouted chickpeas that my wife had prepared in the past few days. I also made a simple Greek salad with purple cabbage, olives, tomato, red onion, olive oil, black pepper, and vegan Parm! "Parmesan cheese"; I would have liked to include some bell pepper, but I was out of peppers. Finally, I served green beans simply, as we learned when we were in Tuscany last year - a quick saute in a little bit of olive oil, followed by some squeezes of a lime, salt, and fresh ground black pepper.

Dinner was good. I really liked the torta, though it was a little too sweet to go well with the hummus. I am sure we'll enjoy snacking on the tortas and finishing them up on their own merits in the coming days! I put a bit too much (about 1/5 of a medium red onion) onion in - and we were off for contra dancing immediately after eating!