Tuscan Hummus

Makes enough for 1 Happy Hour bowl and 4 individual little cups to eat at the beach (or work lunches!)

I developed this hummus because the store bought hummus never has the balance of spices that I like. I have tried many brands, but they are just not as tasty and healthy as making it at home. This recipe, has less salt and quite a bit less olive oil than most other recipes. The traditional recipes use tahini, which is not in this recipe, because I don’t like it!

So, here is my Tuscan Hummus, which is a staple in our house. It makes a great dip or sandwich spread, and this recipe stores well in the fridge.This is great to make ahead for work lunches, or for sunset happy hour dinners at the beach.

I call this Tuscan Hummus because many of the ingredients are commonly used in Tuscan dishes: cannellini beans, chickpeas, lemon, and oregano. Additionally, I often add red roasted peppers as a variation.

 Ingredients:

1 can cannellini beans (any size can between 15 and 19 ounces works fine)

1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans (usually 15 ounce can)

Juice of 1 lemon (around ¼ cup or a little more)

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon salt

Frank’s Hot Sauce – a dash or two (optional)

3 cloves of garlic, pressed or rough chop

¼ cup olive oil

Variation: add ½ cup of chopped red roasted peppers or ½ of a red bell pepper

Garnishes: lemon twist or slice, fresh Greek oregano spring, chopped black olives, chopped red peppers or red roasted peppers.

For Serving: Toasted baguette slices, plain pita chips, cucumbers, carrots, pepper strips

 

Procedure:

Pour the cannellini beans and chickpeas into a colander. Rinse them, and let them drain very well in the colander while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

 

Squeeze the juice of the whole lemon into a cup and set aside. (Save a slice of lemon and the lemon peel to use later for garnishing the hummus.)

 

3. Pour the olive oil into a small frying pan. Add the garlic and cook over very low heat for about 2 minutes to cook the garlic. Do not brown the garlic.

 

4. Measure all dry spices into a bowl and set aside.

 

5. Pour the well-drained bean mix into the bowl of a food processor.

 

5. Pour the lemon juice, garlic and oil on top of the beans.

 

7. Stir the spices, and then add them to the food processor.

8. Shake a couple of dashes of Frank’s Hot sauce on top.

9. If using red peppers, add them now too.

   10.  Pulse the food processor to get the mixture moving, scraping down the sides as needed. Once it gets going smoothly, let it run at high speed for about 1 minute. Stop mixing and scrape down the sides. Repeat this several times, until a creamy consistency is achieved. Drizzle in more olive oil if it seems too dry, just a tablespoon at a time then run the processor for another minute before adding more.  (The quantity of the beans and chickpeas varies by brand and size of can, which is why more oil is needed sometimes.)

The consistency of this hummus is heavier than the store brands, so taste it to see if it creamy enough to suit your taste. If using red peppers, the mixture will be thinner and lighter and probably won’t need more oil.

When smooth enough, transfer to the hummus to serving containers. Garnish the top with a lemon peel spiral, lemon slice, springs of fresh Greek oregano, red peppers, or any favorite chopped black olives. OR, put out a plate of these toppings and let people select their own.