Hummus
you'll never want to buy a product from the market again! If you're saying 'Finally' I don't blame you. But I'm glad I took my time and broke this end result down into components; I've had so many tell me that they've never roasted garlic before or that they loved knowing they could make chickpeas in their Instant Pot. Even my homemade Tahini was a hit with readers and friends who have never thought about making it themselves, and I'll repeat myself...that toasted Tahini is worth it and it's so quick and easy.
Still if you haven't followed along on this journey; I'll do a recap. My darling cousin Pat, who lives in Tennessee, asked if I could look at a recipe she had made for Hummus that turned out with a garlic flavor she thought was too strong. I decided to fix that issue and decided I would toss out her 2 cloves of garlic and substitute an entire head of roasted garlic. Sounds like overkill but it is not. If you've never had roasted garlic it's amazing. Soft and tender and almost sweet, that biting sharpness of raw garlic is gone and mellowed and so delicious.
In the post sharing how to roast garlic I've given instructions for both oven roasting and making it in an Instant Pot. Both are perfect in this Artichoke and Roasted Garlic Hummus. If you shop at Costco like I do, I simply buy the big bag of garlic and roast about half of it and then smush it and freeze it and always have it handy; it's addictive!
While the recipe with this post includes directions for making the chickpeas on your stovetop; I shared the other day how to make them using an Instant Pot. I am not one for fads and my Instant Pot sat in the cabinet too long but once I gave it a whirl it has become a workhorse in my kitchen. I'll be honest, I don't try to use it for everything but if I used it for nothing but rice, hard boiled eggs, beans, and pork I would be happy I have it. I am doing more than that though; take a peek at my Instant Pot Recipes if you want to see the other dishes I love.
You can buy chickpeas (often called garbanzo beans) in the can and you can absolutely use them. I've just added a bit more flavor to them with some bay leaves and chicken bouillon but I get that sometimes quick wins. Don't let this part stop you; just check your seasoning once everything is joined together. That chicken bouillon in the chickpea water will also add a bit of salt so your hummus might need a touch more although hummus should not be obviously salty. It's so often used with crackers and chips that are salted it's nice if it's a bit more mellow.
Last but not least is a most important component of Hummus, the Tahini. Tahini is so simple, it's just sesame seeds that are ground up and in doing so they release their oil and form a paste of sorts. I toasted the seeds EVER SO SLIGHTLY and added just a bit of olive oil when I was blending them and they made something magical. I've been given so many ideas on how to incorporate this wonderfully nutty elixir into my dishes I can't wait to try something else.
The main reason I made my own is because a jar of it was nowhere to be found at the first stop I made. So I decided to go to Sprouts and look there. They had it in prepared form but when I checked the ingredients I realized it was primarily sesame seeds so I decided to make my own and picked up seeds from their bulk bins. I simply loved toasted sesame seed bagels so I was inspired to toast these too...and am so glad I did. I give you fair warning on the recipe for tahini and will repeat myself here. LIGHTLY toasted; even a golden brown is too much and they will turn bitter. I learned this the hard way!
If I'm going Mediterrean I decided to go full out and use pita bread for serving The Artichoke and Roasted Garlic Hummus. No, I did not make it; I do have my limits! But I did cut each circle into 8 sections, rubbed them with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled some sea salt on top before toasting them in a 350 degree oven. They were perfect. I liked them warm and a bit crispy but still pliable but you can toast them until they are more like crunchy chips, your call.
How much did we like this? No words. The layers of flavor made for the most delicious hummus I've ever had. The garnishes on top did not hurt; they provided the perfect complimentary punch to that silky smooth dip. Toasted pine nuts are pretty much obligatory but I told someone who hesitated because of their cost that I would have no problem using chopped, toasted walnuts in lieu of the pine nuts either. Consider both walnuts and pecans when creating your own hummus versions...they'll be great too.
Isn't she lovely?
This made a good amount and good thing. I sent a container home with a neighbor for dinner with her parents who were visiting and I piled some on top of the oven baked pita I made for dipping. When I say some, I mean several. I did not eat this before dinner or as a side to dinner; no, it WAS dinner. Sure I had a couple of carrots and some other assorted tidbits but the main course was about 5 of these little pita with Artichoke and Roasted Garlic Hummus. I'm not sure but I think I did the same thing again the next night (OK I did!).
You must try this...then you can come with me on my hummus journey. I've already made a sun-dried tomato and roasted garlic version I'm sharing next week; this girl has gone hummus crazy! Join me?
And thanks Pat...what else have you got up your sleeve that I need to work on? This was fun!
Here's the finished lineup for everything that came together in the Artichoke and Roasted Garlic Hummus. Mixing up some ingredients and changing flavors is so easy...watch out for the Sun-dried and Roasted Garlic version I made showing up soon!
All the Recipes:
Artichoke and Roasted Garlic Hummus
Homemade Artichoke and Roasted Garlic Hummus will have you wondering why you ever bought it at the store. Easy and SO delicious!
For the Chickpeas (Click Here for Instant Pot Recipe)Ingredients
For the Hummus:- 1 cup chickpeas
- 4 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon
- 6 Tbsp tahini, prepared or homemade
- 1 head garlic, roasted
- 1 (16 oz can) artichokes or equivalent amount of marinated artichokes, drained (set aside 1/4 cup for garnish)
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup lemon juice, or to taste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 Tbsp olive oil for drizzling
- 1/4 cup chopped artichoke hearts (or just for garnish)
- 2 T pine nuts, toasted (I use my toaster oven, watch carefully!)
- 2 T chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 tsp Paprika or Sumac
- Ground Pepper
Directions
- Put the raw chickpeas in a bowl of cold water to cover and soak overnight
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then place them in a heavy pot with enough cold water to cover along with the bay leaves and chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partially covered, for about an hour or until the chickpeas are soft and the skin begins to separate. Add more water as needed during cooking.
- Drain the chickpeas, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
- In a food processor fitted with a steel blade (or in a strong blender), process the chickpeas with the tahini, roasted garlic, artichokes, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin, and at least 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. If the hummus is too thick, add more reserved cooking liquid or water until you have a smooth, paste-like consistency. Refrigerate covered for at least one hour.
- To serve, transfer the hummus to a large, flat serving dish or plate and with the back of a spoon swirl the hummus leaving depressions in the top. Drizzle with the olive oil and garnish with the chopped artichokes, pine nuts, parsley, paprika or sumac, and the ground pepper.
- Serve with pita bread, crackers, olives, assorted veggies, and lemon slices (that's for me, I like even more lemon juice drizzled on top!).
Recipe Notes
I served this with toasted pita bread. I cut each pita into 8 pieces, brushed the tops lightly with olive and salted lightly with sea salt before baking in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes until just beginning to crisp.
Great with crudites too; carrots, celery, olives, etc.
