Tuesday, May 9, 2006

Black Bean Hummus

Let me just start by saying that I hate hummus. Hate it! Why? I have no idea. But I've never had a hummus that I liked. At least, not one made with garbonzo beans.

This one is not made with garbonzo beans; it's made with black beans. I love black beans. Doubtless God could have made a better bean, but doubtless he never did. For those of you taking notes, this recipe is based on a traditional hummus recipe. I only made two changes: black beans instead of garbonzo beans, and lime instead of lemon. Somehow, those two changes alone change this from a middle-eastern dish to a southwestern American one.

Start with a 14oz can of black beans. Simmer until fork tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, rinse and cool. Add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup tahini, 1 clove of garlic, the juice of two limes and half a lemon (I ran out of limes, so sue me) and a pinch of Kosher salt. Now, that would have been okay by itself, but I couldn't let well enough be. So I added a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a few grinds of black pepper and a couple of sprigs of cilantro. Okay, so I lied about only making two changes. I also meant to add 1/4 teaspoon of cumin but I forgot. You can do that on your own if you want. Process in a food processor, or if you're like me, do it with an immersion blender.

Now, I know you traditionally serve hummus with things like pita bread or pita chips, but hey, screw tradition. I serve with blue corn chips. Now, this tahini stuff, you may not be all familiar with that. In fact, I wish I was more familiar with it. I've only ever seen it in hummus recipes. What is it? It's sesame paste. It's just like peanut butter, but with sesame seeds. I talked to a couple of friends that have visited the middle-east, and they tells me it's used as kind of a dressing. You put it on falafel or any number of different street foods. Or you can make a sandwich with it like you would with peanut butter. Yeah, I don't know how I'd like that. Let me know if you try it.

2 comments:

  1. This stuff is actually quite good!

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  2. Hey - you've never had this before! This is great - we use to make it when catering. Try spreading some on tortilla add some diced chicken, your favorite white cheese (I like jack) fold in half and brown in skillet. You can add any veggies you like and it's a great quesadilla. (did i spell that correctly) Sometimes I add a little cilantro pesto which is yummy as well. Let me know what you think

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