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| 'Best ever hummus: looks and smells amazing...smooth & velvety...it's a hit!' Taster |
Hummous lovers will find this gorgeous, unbelievably fabulous hummus unforgettable -- in the best way. Even the most reluctant hummus eater will be impressed.
It is presented to readers with the greatest of pleasure. One of the great delights for a food blogger is to discover dishes that are out-of-this-world scrumptious but out of the reach of ordinary budgets. And then recreate them at half the cost, or less.
A gorgeous commercial product, 'me too! hummous', beetroot flavour, was featured in a recent post. At nearly £3 for 250gms, it was one of those 'expensive but worth it' treats.
Inspired, 67 tinkered with a standard hummous recipe to try to recreate the wonderful texture and flavour of the silken new product. The result? A smooth, creamy, pretty, absolutely more-ish dip/spread -- several cuts above any commercial product.
And, it was miraculously oil-free -- a boon for dieters. (It was an accident -- 67 forgot to include olive oil in the first trial!)
The small amount of beet added a hint of sweetness which should tempt small fussy eaters. 67's (middle-aged) taster said the beetroot added to the overall yumminess but wasn't obvious; he loved the colour.
Standard cupboard ingredients are used -- there's no need to rush out to buy nearly-as-expensive-as-gold black tahini, for example.
But dried chickpeas are necessary. There is a bit of faff involved in the prep though the steps are simple -- the chickpeas are soaked overnight and cooked in a slow cooker. Then they must be peeled. (I know!) But the outer layer sloughs off easily; kids can help and the task can be done watching telly.
Velvet Hummous with Beetroot would be a knock-out hit at any party.
Cost: £1'ish
Makes: 500gm/17oz
Ingredients:
150gm dried chickpeas or 1 1/2 cups reconstituted
small to med cooked beetroot (supermarket beetroot, rinsed of vinegar, is fine)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp good tahini, stirred well
1/2-2/3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 med-to-large clove garlic, grated
1/3 tsp cumin
1/3 cup chickpea cooking water (if you forget, add 1/4 tsp veg granules to the same amount of water)
Method:
- Start preparation at least a day ahead by soaking chickpeas overnight in water
- Drain; add 2 litres water; bring to a boil; simmer 2 mins; remove from heat, cover and rest 1 hour
- Add an onion & carrot and 1 tsp tumeric (anecdotally anti-flatulence); bring to the boil, skimming off any froth. Then cook in a Slow Cooker on low for 5 hours. (It's the slow cooking that makes for the wonderful texture; if you haven't got one, cook covered in a moderate oven for a couple of hours)
- Drain chickpeas and cool slightly
- While the chickpeas are still warm, remove the outer layer (they come off easier when warm)
- Blend lemon juice, tahini, garlic and chickpea cooking water
- Add chickpeas and beetroot; blend until totally smooth, almost whipped -- add a little more water if needed
- Season with salt, pepper and cumin; taste
- Serve with crudités (celery, carrot sticks, radishes, crisp lettuce leaves), oatmeal biscuits or wholemeal bread or toast
'Best ever humus - colour, smell, texture and taste; it's a hit! It's so smooth & velvety and looks and smells amazing. It's good with crisp celery. I grazed on it all night. The colour adds extra selling point; hummus usually looks so bland.'
Tips:
- a food processor isn't going to be enough for this recipe; a really good blender is needed. 67 doesn't have a really good blender but ran the mix through a food processor first, then through a smoothie maker.
- 67 did try this recipe with tinned chickpeas; it's not worth the effort
Products:
67 used Israeli Achva tahini, available at most large supermarkets. Most Middle Eastern brands would be fine.
For more recipes for dips, go to Sauces/Dips
This recipe has been developed by B Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.
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