Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

A friend of a friend, both of which are friends of mine, requested this for her birthday party. It is the first flavoured Hummus that I have ever made, and I learned a whole bunch about how added flavours interact with the base taste. Namely, I need to add more if I want it to have a distinct flavour!

For those of you who don't know, Hummus has a few different uses. It can be used as a sauce, a spread, and a dip. I've seen it used quite successfully on a vege-burger, though I personally prefer to eat it with assorted crackers.

Depending on what you are using as your base (Garbanzo beans or Chickpeas, dried or canned) you may need to take a few extra steps. I used dried Chickpeas and as such I had to boil them until soft (about 1-2 hours)








The water the Chickpeas were boiled in is saved and used to thin the Hummus when everything is blended together.










While I was letting the Chickpeas cool a little, I roasted some red peppers and coarsely chopped them. In retrospect, I shouldn't have chopped them as the next step was to blend everything in a blender. I could have roasted the pepper and then just tossed it in. It was an unnecessary step that I apologize for.






Blend the Chickpeas, Peppers, and all the other ingredients (Garlic, tahini, lemon juice and cumin). Once pureed, move to a storage or serving container and sprinkle with Paprika. Paprika is typically made from dried and powered red peppers so aside from making it look nice it will also add flavour.














Hummus
About 2 cups
You may substitute one 16-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained. Use water to thin the puree as necessary.
Pick over, rinse and simmer:
3/4 cup dried chickpeas
Drain and place in a pan with water to cover by 5 cm. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Transfer the chickpeas to a food processor or blender and add:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
(1/2 teaspoon ground cumin)
salt
Puree until smooth, adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid as needed to obtain a soft, creamy consistency. transfer to a shallow serving bowl and garnish with:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Sprinkling of hot or sweet paprika

Unfortunately I don't have a recorded cost for most of the ingredients that I used, so I can't give a cost associated with the final dish. I apologize and I'll keep an eye out for prices so that I can update this post in the future.

However, I do know the ingredients and I have access to Wolfram Alpha, so I can provide the nutritional information. I made the wild assumption that a single serving would be 15 mL or an ample amount to spread on a single cracker.