Hello again from Nikki’s kitchen! Following the test runs of my food processor with Cucumbers and Breadcrumbs, I was now eager to try out my first actual recipe using my new toy. Having already dog-eared five cookbooks in my collection, I knew just what I wanted to try: hummus.
This bean dip is one of those staples I love to have in the fridge. It makes a nice quick lunch or a light supper, and you can put it on just about anything ~ crackers, bread, sandwiches, you name it. My favorite kind is black olive hummus, which I can’t seem to find in my local grocery stores anymore. I do have a recipe for it thanks to an internet search, but I really wanted to try out one of Nigella’s recipes first. So I dug out the applicable cookbook, made up a shopping list for the rest of the ingredients I’d need, and went shopping. On Sunday, with Mom on hand for a bit of as-you-go taste testing and photo-snapping, it was time to put it all together.
Red Pepper Hummus: The Recipe
When it came time to whip up a batch of this hummus, I ended up tweaking Nigella’s recipe but only a little. I chose to use reduced sodium chickpeas that my market had available, and I went with the whipped cream cheese from Weight Watchers because I wanted the lower fat option.
Also, I don’t know about you, but I only have the basic kinds of cooking oil in my kitchen. So rather than springing for a whole bottle of garlic-infused oil, or making some of my own (which is trickier than it sounds), I decided to use the same amount of EVOO and microplane a good-sized clove of garlic instead.
That decided, I threw all the ingredients into the processor and pulsed it a few times before I flipped the switch to ON. Soon the colorful concoction was pureeing nicely and sending up wonderful aromas. Following a first taste test, Mom and I agreed we needed to increase the amount of lime juice. Now, I know this will sound completely obvious to most of you, but you definitely need to poke a knife into the flesh of the lime a few times before you squeeze it. It makes it so much easier to juice it, and it will save your manicure. Not to mention that you won’t have to squash the heck out of the poor fruit to get it to give up its juice. Mom’s really do know best. ;)
Another few pulses and another finger swipe on the spatula for a taste test, and the dip still wasn’t quite right. We added a pinch or two of salt as indicated by the recipe, and Mom suggested zesting one half of one of the small limes we’d juiced into the batch as well. Interestingly, this was also my first lesson in zesting, and it was oddly harder than it looks on the Food Network. Eventually I got it worked out, and back on went the cover. A minute or so later, the dip met the criteria of a “hummus-like puree” ~ it was grainier than the kind you find in the stores ~ and it was time for the final test. I dug out the really good, dense wheat bread I had on hand and daubed a decent dollop onto a torn-off section and handed it to Mom. Making another for myself, we took a munch.
Voilá! We had ourselves a winner of a hummus!
I grabbed the nearest pen and adjusted the quantities and ingredients in my cookbook so I’d remember next time what had worked well for our version of the recipe. I also dated the page so I’d remember when I’d first made it, a habit Mom ingrained in me a long time ago when I started making cookies from my favorite cookie cookbook. Now it was time for the final photo of the finished product; fortunately, I have plenty of pretty pottery around my kitchen well suited for the presentation. It took me a second or two to get the hand of holding onto the blade while I poured out the puree, but in the end, I got it all in the bowl and none on the counter.
While I was trying to figure out the best angle to take the final “see I did it” photo, Mom busied herself with cleaning off the spatula and the processor’s blade ~ with her fingers! Fortunately, she was very careful and there was no need for a sudden trip to the emergency room. She’s the one who trimmed the lime to add it as garnish for the final photo, and I admit, I like the color contrasts.
It was only a few moments after snapping the photo you see here that we couldn’t wait any longer to really have a taste. We each grabbed a half-slice of the bread, smeared it with the hummus, and happily snacked. Nigella’s original recipe makes 2 cups of hummus; mine made a bit more, likely because we used all of roasted red peppers from the jar instead of only the amount indicated by the recipe.
Deciding to wait to have more of the peppery dip until I had a bag of my favorite pita chips handy, I transferred the hummus to a plastic container and set it in the fridge. I can tell you the flavors improved overnight, and it’s definitely better than similar store-bought versions. One final note: I might add a little more paprika next time to this very good recipe.
Photos ©2011 ArtALACarte and NixDesk; recipe adapted from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson, ©2007, page 356.
