Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Hummus

You've seen them. At the grocery store , all those stacks and stacks of plastic tubs with different colours , and flavours gleaming at you from near the deli isle :)  I used to stop there every week, and drop $5 on a small tub of Hummus... usually it was a roasted garlic , or red pepper.  That was before I started making my own. My first attempt was almost identical to this posts version, Which I must say I enjoyed immensely. So  I thought Id try to recreate how it all happened for me and share.The best part is that after my second batch turned out as well as the first I swore myself off the store bought, and now enjoy a healthier, tastier and cheaper hummus made by me, with my tastes in mind.  Plus I get to control all the ingredients, which can be as few as three. I do try not to add more than eight or ten , as you tend to start losing some flavours. 

Okay, enough babbling.  Time to show you how easy this is. 

The most cost effective way to make this is to buy a bag of dried chick peas ( also called garbonzo beans ) , If you can find organic ones, grab them. Besides the lack of chemicals, I find them to have a better texture. .   

  Pour them into a bowl, and pick out any green or black ones. They always mention to look for stones too, but I have yet to find one. 

The dried peas do require an overnight soak.  If you don't have the time or the patience for this step ,  buy some good quality canned ones and skip the next two steps :)  If your in Canada the PC Organic Chick Peas are really good for canned ones
Dried chick peas NEED to soak overnight . Make sure the are well covered in water and simply soak for 24 hours.  I think the alternative is to boil them for 4 hours, but I have not tried this. 



Once they have soaked, or if you are using canned ones instead. You will need to give them a good rinse, and have a double check for any funny coloured ones.  Notice one on the right that slipped thru the initial inspection. 
Next up, add them to a large pot of boiling lightly salted water. You will want lots of water, about 4 cups for every cup of peas.  The packages always say to boil for 45 minutes, which is fine for using the  chick peas in dishes, for hummus I like to add more water at the 45 minute mark and boil for a further 30 minutes.
If, like me and using the whole bag. You will have way more garbonzos than you know what to do with. Give them all one more good rinse. Then I like to freeze the extra  in 3 cup portions.  That way the next hummus you make will eliminate all the above steps.

Now the fun begins, assemble all your flavours.  I'm using organic garlic, black sesame seeds ( for garnish ), Tahini Paste, L&P, Sea Salt, Black Pepper , Olive Oil, Of course chick peas ( I used 3 1/2 cups of boiled ones. ) and as in my first attempt a jar of fire roasted peppers these were water packed ones.   

Chuck everything into a food pro.  I only chop the garlic, the rest is whole.  I used 2/3rds of the jar of peppers,  you can use more or less. But I have a plan for the remaining 1/3.  (Future Post Hopefully)  plus I added a shake of my chili powder and a few pinches of basil at the last moment. 

I usually start it up on slow speed with a few good glugs of olive oil.. once it gets going I increase the speed and add oil until you like the consistency.

Don't forget to stop and have a good look and taste, It may seem like your adding a lot of salt,  but your making 4 cups of hummus .. that is quite a lot.  ( 4 grocery store tubs worth! )

Once you've reached the consistency you're looking for. ( I don't like it lumpy ,  but do stop before it gets creamy ) Pour it, with the help of a spatula into a resealable container.  I also like to sprinkle something on top.  This time its black sesame seeds and coarse sea salt.
That's it, you now have 4 cups of an amazing roasted red pepper and garlic hummus :) About 4 times what you'd get in a prepackaged one at the store , all for about the same price as one 1 tub.   PLUS you should have at least a few packages in the freezer.  Now all that's left to do is grab yourself some homemade bread and veggie sticks and you've got a great lunch , or even a light dinner.  Or like tonight, a great late night snack. 
Happy Cooking!
Enjoy :)
Rich

14 comments:

  1. Only thing missing is the lemon juice! Looks great and I can't wait to try this! :D

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  2. Yes, your right.. for most people a bit of lemon is needed .. I use a splash of L&P instead... which is far from normal i might add lol. Hmm learning curve, got to remember to not my tastes vs. the standard issue stuff. Thanks Pixi ( Lynda? )

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  3. Rich, I start mine with sesame seeds and olive oil, making my own tahini. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Here, tahini is very expensive and it always spoils before I can use it all. Do you use it in something besides hummus?

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  4. Rich, this is amazing. I have never made hummus and I don't buy it either (price is scary:). I'm going to begin making it though and I think I will also make my own Tahini paste as I wouldn't (not yet anyway) use it for much else.

    When I was a kid living at home my mother always bought canned garbanzos and I never liked them. Recently I began cooking my own and they are absolutely delicious. Always learning :D

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  5. Paula, that whole jar was I think $3,, one ingrediant :)) Ive had it for about 9 months in the fridge.. seems to be okay, smells fine atleast . I do happen to have a jar full of sesame seeds tho , Ill give it a try next time. And nope, not a clue where else to use it :) Once its gone i wont replace it.

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  6. Thanks Lindy, I had never tried hummus until about 5 years ago... and even the I hesitated until I saw how much people loved it... so I tried it and have been hooked since. The best thing is you can add almost any flavour to it, so just pick your favs when you do give it a try. Im thinking on this one I should have roasted the garlic quickly, its a bit strong today :) But thats okay, I have plans to turn half of it into pizza sauce anyways :)

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  7. A bit late on the response, but yes Rich, "pixilatedtoo" is my web address name for the Farmlet, which is to say, of course it's Lynda!
    Sorry!
    ":<>

    PS: About that Tahini, could it be parceled out, frozen and then thawed for later use?

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  8. And...it tastes way much better than the store bought stuff! Thanks for sharing. Your photos are terrific.

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  9. Hi, Rich, I just added all that I need to my shopping list for tomorrow and that includes a food processor which I have been promising myself but wanted to wait until after the move. The move is over and I'm not going to wait until the house is built - it hasn't even been started yet.

    BTW - your writing is really good and the pics are great. I see great foodie things for you in the future. :D

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  10. well i really looked at blog tonight and found this hummus. 4 tubs ? how long will it last...need to go small small or can ya freeze..
    Lynn Brown

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  11. You sure can freeze it Lynn, or just freeze more of the chick peas :) IT will usually last a week in the fridge , Im sure longer than that but I dont like to push things to far :)) Enjoy , once you get the basic recipe down , the options are endless. :))

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  12. I am starting to try and do this one. However I am only gonna be at soaking stage. I rarely if ever used can beans.

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  13. A top-fave Rich! Haven't had any for way too long! Thanks! :)

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  14. Love hummus in all its forms- this one looks delicious, and such a pretty color! I just roasted a batch of garlic last weekend....perfect use for some of it! Yum- thanks!

    Joy @ Yesterfood
    http://yesterfood.blogspot.com

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