Friday, February 6, 2015

Sun-dried tomato hummus

I've become obsessed with hummus the past few months, and I've finally tweaked my recipe enough to call this one my favorite. It all starts with a good quality jar of sun-dried tomatoes.

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (~1 lemon)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 15 ounce can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed; I like to remove the shells by simply squeezing them gently.
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (drained of oil)
  • 2 tablespoons water (to add "as needed")
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
Directions:
  1. In a food processor, whip the tahini, garlic and lemon juice for a minute, scraping down the sides as needed.
  2. Add the EVOO and chickpeas and give it a whirl for another minute to fully mix everything together. You'll have to pause and scrape the sides about halfway through.
  3. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and process for another 30 seconds, or until you can no longer see the chunks of tomatoes. If it gets too thick (cannot whirl around), add a tablespoon or two of water. I tend to add a little too much water at this step, but the hummus will set-up some in the refrigerator.
  4. Taste your masterpiece, and then add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper, to taste. 
  5. Pour it into a container and refrigerate for a few hours for the flavors to meld together. I like to pour 1/2 tablespoon of EVOO on top before I refrigerate it, but that's personal preference. It's not necessary at all.
  6. Enjoy with pita chips, carrot slices or any other dippin-chip you have on hand!