Tomato Pesto Hummus -- with secret ingredient!

This recipe is simply a variation of our Smooth & Creamy Hummus. See that recipe for details describing the techniques to make hummus smooth and creamy. Plus we've added yet another secret addition (step #7) to make this recipe even more smooth and creamy!

Dried Tomato Pesto Hummus

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

¼ cup water

3 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh preferred)

6 tablespoons well stirred tahini

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¾ teaspoon salt

3 to 4 large garlic cloves, roasted*

1 teaspoon toasted and ground cumin seeds** (or ¾ tsp. ground cumin)

1 pinch cayenne pepper

The secret ingredient—2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (we prefer olive oil based mayo)

About 3 to 4 tablespoons purchased dried tomato pesto mixed with a drizzle of olive oil

Garnishes:reserved garbanzo beans and flat leaf parsley if desired

1. Add chickpeas and liquid to a saucepan and heat over medium for 10 minutes. Drain and cool.
2. Save a few garbanzo beans to use as garnish if desired. Add half of the beans to the work bowl of a food processor and blend, scrape down the sides of processor and grind again; add remaining beans and blend, scrape down the sides of processor and grind again as many times as it takes so that they are chopped.

   

   After grinding half of the garbanzo beans, I added the rest and continued to blend until the beans were well chopped.

3. Mix water and lemon juice; add through the feed tube with the processor running for about 1 minute.
   
4. Add the tahini and process.
5. Add the oil, with the processor running, until the hummus is fluffy.
6. Add the seasonings: salt, roasted garlic, cumin and cayenne.

   

   Rather than pre-grinding the toasted cumin seeds, I just ground them in the blender. They did not completely turn to powder but were chopped well enough so they did not interfere with the overall texture.

7. Add the secret ingredient—2 to 3 tablespoons mayo—to make the hummus even more creamy and smooth!
8. Put the hummus in a serving dish; add dried tomato pesto mixed with a drizzle of olive in and swirl into hummus. Garnish with reserved garbanzo beans and flat leaf parsley if desired. 
   
   
   
   

*Quick, Toasted Garlic Cloves: Toss four or more cloves with the papery skins still on into a dry pan and toast over medium heat, shaking the pan from time to time, until the skins are charred several places. Let them cool and peel.

**Toasted Cumin Seeds: Toss in a skill and toast over medium heat, shaking and stirring the seeds until fragrant. Grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.

Recipe without photos . . .

Dried Tomato Pesto Hummus

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

¼ cup water

3 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh preferred)

6 tablespoons well stirred tahini

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¾ teaspoon salt

3 to 4 large garlic cloves, roasted*

1 teaspoon toasted and ground cumin seeds** (or ¾ tsp. ground cumin)

1 pinch cayenne pepper

About 3 to 4 tablespoons purchased dried tomato pesto mixed with a drizzle of olive oil

The secret ingredient—2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (we prefer olive oil based mayo)

Garnishes: reserved garbanzo beans and flat leaf parsley if desired

1. Add chickpeas and liquid to a saucepan and heat over medium for 10 minutes. Drain and cool.
2. Save a few garbanzo beans to use as garnish if desired. Add half of the beans to the work bowl of a food processor and blend, scrape down the sides of processor and grind again; add remaining beans and blend, scrape down the sides of processor and grind again as many times as it takes so that they are chopped.
3. Mix water and lemon juice; add through the feed tube with the processor running for about 1 minute.
4. Add the tahini and process.
5. Add the oil, with the processor running, until the hummus is fluffy.
6. Add the seasonings: salt, roasted garlic, cumin and cayenne.
7. Add the secret ingredient—2 to 3 tablespoons mayo—to make the hummus even more creamy and smooth!
8. Put the hummus in a serving dish; add dried tomato pesto mixed with a drizzle of olive in add dried tomato pesto mixed with a drizzle of olive in and swirl into hummus. Garnish with reserved garbanzo beans if desired. 

*Quick, Toasted Garlic Cloves: Toss four or more cloves with the papery skins still on into a dry pan and toast over medium heat, shaking the pan from time to time, until the skins are charred several places. Let them cool and peel.

**Toasted Cumin Seeds: Toss in a skill and toast over medium heat, shaking and stirring the seeds until fragrant. Grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.

Smooth & Creamy Hummus -- it's all about technique

I love smooth and creamy hummus – the kind that is sold commercially and in some restaurants. Despite repeated attempts and experiments, mine has not quite met that standard in that it is a bit grainy. However, I’ve recently been reading (Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country), asking questions and experimenting. And, this last batch of hummus was not only flavorful but also had a smooth and creamy, even silky, texture. I believe this texture it is due to these techniques  . . all of which I’ll apply to future recipes + also use when I remake our tasty Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Hummus:

• Cook the garbanzo beans in their own liquid for 10 minutes to soften the beans and their skins.
•  Add half the garbanzo beans to the food processor and blend, then add second half and blend. Completing this step before adding the liquids, helps insure that the skins are broken down.
• Treat the mixture like an emulsion—adding the liquids and oil slowly to the ground beans.
• Still want it a little creamier? Adding a little mayonnaise adds to the overall creaminess.

Smooth & Creamy Hummus

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

¼ cup leftover liquid from chickpeas or water

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh preferred)

4 to 6 tablespoons well stirred tahini (Click on tahini for a homemade version)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil + extra for a garnish drizzle

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

3 to 4 large garlic cloves, roasted*

1 to 2 teaspoons+ toasted and ground cumin seeds** (or ¾ tsp. ground cumin)

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Garnishes as desired, such as: extra garbanzo beans, olives, sprinkling of za'atar / extra cumin / paprika,  drizzle of olive oil

1. Add chickpeas and liquid to a saucepan and heat over medium for 10 minutes. Drain and cool. After heating, the outer skins on the beans loosen and may be removed; their removal insures a creamier hummus but if in a hurry, just blend them up with the beans.
2. Save a few garbanzo beans to use as garnish if desired. Add half of the beans to the work bowl of a food processor and blend, scrape down the sides of processor and grind again; add remaining beans and blend, scrape down the sides of processor and grind again as many times as it takes so that they are chopped.

   

   After grinding half of the garbanzo beans, I added the rest and continued to blend until the beans were well chopped.

3. Mix water/bean juice and lemon juice; add through the feed tube with the processor running for about 1 minute.
   
4. Add the tahini and process.
5. Add the oil, with the processor running, until the hummus is fluffy. 
6. Add the seasonings: salt, roasted garlic, cumin and cayenne. More liquid (water or bean juice) can be added to achieve desired consistency.

   

   Rather than pre-grinding the toasted cumin seeds, I just ground them in the blender. They did not completely turn to powder but were chopped well enough so they did not interfere with the overall texture.

7. Put the hummus in a bowl, garnish with the whole garbanzo beans and olives & a sprinkling of herbs; drizzle with some additional olive oil.
   

*Quick, Toasted Garlic Cloves: Toss four or more cloves with the papery skins still on into a dry pan and toast over medium heat, shaking the pan from time to time, until the skins are charred several places. Let them cool and peel.

**Toasted Cumin Seeds: Toss in a skill and toast over medium heat, shaking and stirring the seeds until fragrant. Grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.

Recipe without photos . . .

Smooth & Creamy Hummus

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

¼ cup leftover liquid from chickpeas or water

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh preferred)

4 to 6 tablespoons well stirred tahini (Click on tahini for a homemade version)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil + extra for a garnish drizzle

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

3 to 4 large garlic cloves, roasted*

1 to 2 teaspoons+ toasted and ground cumin seeds** (or ¾ tsp. ground cumin)

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Garnishes as desired, such as: extra garbanzo beans, olives, sprinkling of za'atar / extra cumin / paprika,  drizzle of olive oil

1. Add chickpeas and liquid to a saucepan and heat over medium for 10 minutes. Drain and cool. After heating, the outer skins on the beans loosen and may be removed; their removal insures a creamier hummus but if in a hurry, just blend them up with the beans.
2. Save a few garbanzo beans to use as garnish if desired. Add half of the beans to the work bowl of a food processor and blend, scrape down the sides of processor and grind again; add remaining beans and blend, scrape down the sides of processor and grind again as many times as it takes so that they are chopped.
3. Mix water/bean juice and lemon juice; add through the feed tube with the processor running for about 1 minute.
4. Add the tahini and process.
5. Add the oil, with the processor running, until the hummus is fluffy.
6. Add the seasonings: salt, roasted garlic, cumin and cayenne. More liquid (water or bean juice) can be added to achieve desired consistency.
7. Put the hummus in a bowl, garnish with the whole garbanzo beans and olives, a sprinkling of herbs; drizzle with some additional olive oil.

*Quick, Toasted Garlic Cloves: Toss four or more cloves with the papery skins still on into a dry pan and toast over medium heat, shaking the pan from time to time, until the skins are charred several places. Let them cool and peel.

**Toasted Cumin Seeds: Toss in a skill and toast over medium heat, shaking and stirring the seeds until fragrant. Grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.

Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Hummus -- a quest for the "perfect" hummus

We are definitely hummus fans. However, we find that a lot of recipes call for way too much lemon juice and that the garlic is sometimes overpowering! So, I've been experimenting with the basic ingredients . . . my quest for the "perfect" hummus. Here's what I've come up with so far.

Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Hummus
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained & rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 to 3  large cloves of roasted garlic* (roasting adds a touch of sweetness)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4  teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika + extra for topping
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 to 1 cup roasted red pepper, chopped (reserve some for topping / I just used jarred peppers)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for serving (use the "good" stuff for added flavor, such as The Tasteful Olive's EVOO)
Chopped parsley for topping (I used the flat leaf variety)

1. Add half the garbanzo beans to the food processor; process about 1 minute.
2. Scrape sides of work bowl; add remaining garbanzo beans and process another 1 to 2 minutes until mixture is smooth.
   
3. Add remaining ingredients, except for the parsley) and process until smooth. 
   
   
   
   
4. Taste, adjust seasonings as needed. Add additional tahini and/or olive oil if needed for both flavor and to achieve a creamy consistency. At this point, the hummus was still a little to textural for my taste, so I experimented by adding the mixture to our NutriBullet and I thought this helped create a slightly creamier mixture.
5. Pour mixture into a serving bowl. Drizzle with additional EVOO, chopped roasted red pepper, chopped parsley + lightly sprinkle with paprika.

   

   We served the hummus with pita chips and black bean chips.

To ROAST GARLIC:
Preheat oven to 400°. Slice off the very top of garlic head. Place in a square of  foil and drizzle lightly with 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil; sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt. Seal foil, creating a packet; place packet on a baking pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until garlic is tender and fragrant. Once cool, simply squeeze the head of garlic and the cloves will pop out.

Recipes without photos . . .
Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Hummus
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained & rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 to 3  large cloves of roasted garlic* (roasting adds a touch of sweetness)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4  teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika + extra for topping
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
 3/4 to 1 cup roasted red pepper, chopped (reserve some for topping / I just used jarred peppers)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for serving (use the "good" stuff for added flavor, such as The Tasteful Olive's EVOO)
Chopped parsley for topping (I used the flat leaf variety)

1. Add half the garbanzo beans to the food processor; process about 1 minute.
2. Scrape sides of work bowl; add remaining garbanzo beans and process another 1 to 2 minutes until mixture is smooth.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except for the parsley) and process until smooth. 
4. Taste, adjust seasonings as needed. Add additional tahini and/or olive oil if needed for both flavor and to achieve a creamy consistency. At this point, the hummus was still a little to textural for my taste, so I experimented by adding the mixture to our NutriBullet and I thought this helped create a slightly creamier mixture.
5. Pour mixture into a serving bowl. Drizzle with additional EVOO, chopped roasted red pepper, chopped parsley + lightly sprinkle with paprika.

To ROAST GARLIC:
Preheat oven to 400°. Slice off the very top of garlic head. Place in a square of  foil and drizzle lightly with 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil; sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt. Seal foil, creating a packet; place packet on a baking pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until garlic is tender and fragrant. Once cool, simply squeeze the head of garlic and the cloves will pop out.