Spicing up hummus

[Tina_B]

Hummus is one of my favourites, for a quick and easy, but tasty treat. I use a pretty standard recipe - chickpeas, garlic, lemon, tahini, cumin.

I like to make hummus for company, but would like to offer a more creative twist on the original. What type of spices, any other additions? (I've tries sun dried tomotes - very good.)

[BlueMoose]

What about adding roasted red peppers?

[laughsandlaughs]

Roasted Garlic (raw would be too much, but roasted is delicious!) Just roast an entire head and then squeeze it in. Yummy!

I bet pesto swirled in would be good too.

[LaraW]

I love the sun-dried tomatoes addition. You could also get an interesting bread/cracker or something to serve the hummus on.

What are the proportions for your "standard" recipe? I would be interested to try making it.

[ewatkins]

I've been buying a local brand of hummus --roasted red pepper is excellent, and a red onion/ artichoke is also very good! There is also a national brand with hot chili peppers that is good.

[Tina_B]

Thanks so much for all the responses, they all sound wonderful. I'm going to try a couple tomorrow morning, for a party in the afternoon.

BlueMoose - would you chop up the roasted red pepper or blend it directly into the mixture?

LaraW - I usually just guesstime the amount but here it goes:

Blend together:
19 fl oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cloves of garlic, chopped (or more)
3 tbsp tahini
juice of half a lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin (coriander makes a nice addition also)

Add water 1 tbsp at a time to achieve desired consistency.

[SQ]

I like to add some cayenne pepper to give it some extra zing.

[BlueMoose]

I've never made it before, but I guess I would try blending it into the hummus.

[daner94]

I always add the roasted red pepper right in to the food processer.

I also like adding roasted eggplant to my hummus when I make it.

By the way, Athenos makes about 6 or 7 different flavors of hummus. In my grocery store, they are in the deli/cheese section.
My favorites are roasted garlic, pesto, and roasted eggplant.

Dana

[Wendy w]

My favorite recipe has 2 heads of roasted garlic in it and definitely tastes better than store bought. I have also made black bean which is pretty good too!

[Wendy w]

My favorite recipe has 2 heads of roasted garlic in it and definitely tastes better than store bought. I have also made black bean which is pretty good too!

[kbucky]

My favorite recipe for hummus uses lots of roasted garlic and a chipotle pepper...yummy!

[SandyM]

Originally posted by Wendy w:
I have also made black bean which is pretty good too!


Hey Wendy - I'm intrigued - would you be willing to share your recipe for black bean hummous?

[Wendy w]

Hi Sandy,

I just love Epicurious! I have also seen some intersting hummus recipes with white beans too. Here you go:

BLACK BEAN HUMMUS
This dip is also nice with raw vegetables.

2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained
3/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)*
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh cilantro
4 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pita bread rounds, cut into triangles

*Available at Middle Eastern and natural foods stores and some supermarkets.

Combine first 9 ingredients in processor until smooth. Season hummus to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon hummus into bowl. Serve with pita triangles.

Makes 3 1/2 cups.


Bon Appétit
April 1998
Restaurant; Joe D's Cafe, Kansas City MO

[SandyM]

DOH! I too love Epicurious, Wendy, and I never even thought to look there! Shame, shame on me.......

Thanks for posting the recipe!

[bogglefan]

For a neat twist to hummos, halve the amount of lemon you put in and add the same amount of frozen orange juice concentrate instead (or a little more depending on your taste). It gives it a really nice flavor.

I also make black bean hummos. I use the exact same recipe except I use black beans instead of chick peas and I usually add the orange juice concentrate because it goes really well with the black beans.

[This message has been edited by bogglefan (edited 06-11-2001).]

[Kerrils]

Another suggestion is ine I made last night, using Cannellini Beans (White Kidney Beans), oregano, garlic, cumin and green onions.

It was great and my friends loved it!

I don't have recipe on hand but it was from Cooking Light in 2000.

[Tina_B]

Thanks everybody for the amazing variety of ideas. I don't even know where to begin, they all so sound delicious. I tried the roasted red pepper yesterday and it was a hit with all my friends.

[Anne]

I like to use lime rather than lemon in hummus. When I want more kick, curry does the trick and of course, more garlic. sorry for the poor rhyme, didn't see it till after posted.

[This message has been edited by Anne (edited 06-12-2001).]

[Wendy w]

Anne, lime sounds good, will have to try it!

[emilycat]

I have an excellent recipe for Orange Hummus from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, if anyone's interested.

[Tina_B]

emilycat - please post the recipe for orange hummus. It sounds delicious.

[emilycat]

Here you are, Tina -- hope you enjoy it! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Orange Hummus

10 minutes to prepare
Yield: about 3 cups

Hummus is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisines. It is a chickpea puree with tahini, garlic and lemon. This variation adds some subtle twists: orange juice and vinegar instead of lemon jice, and a medley of what I like to call "the red and yellow spices."

Note: Use fresh-squeezed orange juice, if available, and this dip will soar.

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 t. of the following:
ground cumin
ground coriander
ground ginger
dry mustard
turmeric
mild paprika

3/4 c. orange juice
1/3 c. tahini
1/2 t. salt
3 T. cider vinegar
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 t. soy sauce
cayenne to taste

1. Combine everything in a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl or a container with a id, cover tightly, ad chill.

2. Serve as a dip, surrounded by an array of raw and/or lightly steamed vegetables -- or simply with crackers. This also goes beautifully in a toasted pita pocket with minced salad greensand chopped ripe tomatoes.