Every year, Jeff and I tell each other we won't (and shouldn't) buy any more cookbooks. We have 200+ cookbooks and as much as we have made recipes from all of them we have a LOT of cookbooks.
As I was walking past the magazine rack at the supermarket just before Christmas, I noticed a thick booklet called Make-Ahead Appetizers by America's Test Kitchen. I thought this might be good to have because it only has appetizers. I love books that concentrate on one aspect of food. I flipped through it quickly and placed it in the basket. This would be a great recipe book for our next big gathering.
In January, we decided to have some friends over to watch one of the Saturday night football games. We decided to make a bunch of appetizers rather than a dinner so that people could pick during the game. I wanted to make a hummus recipe, and this one seemed really easy. Outside of mixing the tahini and olive oil together in a small bowl, all the ingredients went into the food processor and in less than 10 minutes, this roasted red pepper hummus was ready to go.
Hummus really is easy to make and we use it in a number of different ways. We will spread it on pita chips and crackers, but we will also add it as a spread for sandwiches. Rather than mustard or mayonnaise, I will put it on my sandwich with sliced turkey or roast beef. It's really tasty and light.
I am thinking of using the base to this recipe for other hummus flavors. How about...
- substitute artichoke hearts for the red peppers - Artichoke Hummus
- substitute lemon juice and rind for the red peppers- Lemon Hummus
- substitute sun dried tomatoes for red peppers - Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
I will be making hummus again (soon) with one of these combinations. I promise to blog about it as this has become a family favorite. The roasted red pepper hummus was delicious. It was smooth and had a great red pepper flavor. We made toasted pita chips which were delicious. I just cut a large pita into triangles and toast them in the oven at 350 degrees until they are golden and crispy. If you don't want to make them, pick up you favorite bag of pita chips at the store, either will do.
Try this recipe on your family or next gathering. You will be amazed at the crowd of people who stand around the hummus, grabbing chips, one after another.
Ingredients for the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
(Adapted from Amercia's Test Kitchen)
- 1/2 cup of tahini
- 1/4 cup of olive oil, extra virgin
- 2 (14 ounce) cans of chick peas
- 1 cup of jarred roasted red peppers
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- a pinch of cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons of sliced almonds, toasted
- 3 large pita pockets, cut into triangles and toasted or 1 bag of pita chips
- extra olive oil for drizzling
Preparation:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and tahini until blended.
2. In a food processor, place the chick peas, roasted red peppers, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper. Pulse about 15-20 seconds until the mixture is still slightly lumpy. Scrape down the sides if necessary.
3. Add the lemon juice and process for 1 minute.
4. Leaving the processor running, slowly pour in the tahini and oil mixture. Continue to process until smooth and creamy, about 20-30 seconds.
5. Remove the hummus from the processor, place in a bowl and cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Before serving, sprinkle with the toasted almonds and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with pita chips, bread or your favorite crackers.
Enjoy!
Written by Tricia White
