Hummus with a Kick
Hummus has always been a standby in my house, and even more so since we were in Israel this summer. I don’t know what their secret is there, but the hummus is so good, it’s nearly addictive. I’ve almost always followed a pretty straight recipe, like the one in my Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet, but the other day for fun I threw in about 1/4 cup of oil-cured sun-dried tomatoes. After all, you can buy all kinds of ready-made flavored varieties, so why not do this at home? Here are a few things I thought of that could embellish hummus, aside from dried tomatoes:
- Pine nuts
- Nutritional yeast
- Roasted red peppers
- Scallions
- Fresh dill
- Fresh parsley
- Hot chili peppers
What else can you think of? Do you have any other interesting variations on hummus that you can share with me? I can’t seem to get enough of it!
Hummus
Makes about 2 cups (6 to 8 servings)
This classic Middle Eastern dip for scooping onto wedges of pita bread is also wonderful in wraps with avocado, tomato, and sprouts.
- One 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 clove garlic, crushed, optional (I loathe raw garlic!)
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup water, or as needed to create a smooth, thick consistency
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- One or two embellishments, as suggested above
Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Process until smoothly pureed. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve at room temperature.
Teddy said,
October 16, 2006 @ 10:44 pm
the roasted peppers sound wonderful.
teddy
Chris Reynaud said,
October 17, 2006 @ 2:18 am
Finely-chopped fresh mint is pretty good with hummus too. Love the stuff!
Chris
Geraldine said,
October 17, 2006 @ 10:16 am
I love fresh rosemary in hummus instead of cilantro. Your variation sounds great Nava, thanks for sharing.
Monica said,
October 17, 2006 @ 11:17 am
I really like mixing in roasted veggies, especially deeply roasted onions and red peppers. I’m also a big fan of chives in hummus. I’m gonna have to try the dried tomatoes—sounds really good!
nikki said,
October 17, 2006 @ 3:38 pm
I like to use half chickpeas, half pinto beans and put in some cilantro, chili powder and some hot sauce and/or salsa. It always comes out great! It makes a bunch…that somehow I consume within a few days.
Bobbie said,
October 18, 2006 @ 9:07 am
I like putting a little plain soy yogurt in hummus—it gives it a light, creamy flavor. I love the idea about putting pine nuts in it also, anything is better with pine nuts!
Diann (aTxVegn) said,
October 18, 2006 @ 3:51 pm
Our paper today just happened to feature hummus in our food section. One was an Indian hummus with hot curry powder and golden raisins.
Susan G said,
October 18, 2006 @ 5:47 pm
Another tweak on hummos: use cider vinegar instead of lemon juice — it lasts much longer. And remember, you can make baba ganough by using eggplant (roasted) instead of chickpeas! All yummy…
michelle said,
October 21, 2006 @ 8:20 am
I like adding extra lemon and some cilantro, or rocket (arrugela, spell check please!)
Anjelica said,
October 22, 2006 @ 10:52 am
mixing in olives (either chopped and mixed after it’s blended or whole and add while blending to make it a part of the puree) is very good and it makes it like a tepanade and hummus together.
Peggy said,
October 22, 2006 @ 12:38 pm
I have a recipe for Hummus Guacamole which uses a peeled avocado,scallion,tomato, hot green chili and cilantro. I also have a recipe for herbed hummus with pistachios which includes watercress, cilantro and pistachio nuts.
Heather said,
October 22, 2006 @ 12:50 pm
Peggy, please post the Hummus Guacamole. Sounds so good!
thanks Heather
Dorothea said,
October 22, 2006 @ 7:14 pm
Summer savory is nice in an otherwise straight-up hummus.
Sally said,
October 23, 2006 @ 9:20 am
There was an article in the April 2006 issue of Saveur magazine about hummus. According to the author, Alia Yunis, traditional hummus consists only of chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic. There are also a few secrets to great hummus:
First, start with dried chickpeas, and cook them yourself. Canned chickpeas are too tinny and tough to become creamy, no matter how long you run the food processor. (For a more traditional but less creamy hummus, use a hand-turned vegetable mill, and remove the outer skins from the chickpeas before pureeing them.)
“Second, the tahini-lemon mix sets the tone. One of my old neighbors in Lebanon recommends that you add lemon juice to the tahini until it turns white and then add the tahini-lemon mixture to the pureed chickpeas until they become “cream colored.” Basically, a two-to-one ratio of tahini to lemon juice works the best, though some people use a tad less juice.
“Third, a little raw garlic goes a long way. If you use more than one clove, it will be the only thing you can taste.”
There’s one more secret: Process it in the food processor for 3 minutes. I’ve made lots of hummus before but decided to try her recipe. It was the best I’ve ever made — even considering that I used canned chickpeas and didn’t skin them.
For a recipe using one 15-1/2 ounce can of chickpeas, I used 1/4 cup tahini and 2T lemon juice along with one small clove garlic. About 1 1/2 T olive oil is put over the top and then it’s sprinkled with parsley and sweet paprika. It’s definitely addictive.
Serve with pita and olives.
peggy said,
October 23, 2006 @ 10:21 am
Heather,
Here is the recipe you requested. Two cups of basic hummus are used however I did not include that recipe (which is also found in this cookbook) because any basic hummus will do.
Hummus Guacamole (recipe from: Pita The great by: Virginia T. Habeeb)
1 ripe avocado, peeled
2 cups basic/plain hummus (you can substitute your own recipe)
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 small ripe tomato, finely chopped
1 Tb. finely chopped hot green chilies
Olive Oil (garnish)
Chopped fresh cilantro (garnish)
Parmesan Pita crisps
Scoop the avacado into a med. bowl and mash with fork. Add the basic hummus and blend thoroughly.
Gently stir in the scallion,tomato, and chilies. Taste to correct seasonings. If needed you may add additional fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper (ingredients used to make the basic hummus).
Put dip into a serving dish and refrigerate, covered, to chill. Before serving drizzel with olive oil and garnish with cilantro. offer parmesan pita crisps for scooping.
Makes 3 cups
Susan F said,
October 23, 2006 @ 11:14 am
I always use dried chickpeas which I cook myself. I also add some olive oil to make a smoother texture. Instead of plain water I add a little of the water from the cooked beans. Cumin sounds like a good idea, I”m going to try it.
Sita said,
November 12, 2006 @ 12:20 am
I sometimes make a gingery hummus by leaving out the garlic and instead adding about one or two-inches of fresh ginger, finely grated. Add fresh basil and/or fresh mint for an additional flavor suprise. It tastes great as a dip for crudites (sorry, I don’t have an accent for that e), or as a spread for sandwiches or pita.