Putting Peppers To Work: Hummus!

Big things are coming soon to Six-Seven-Eight, including our kick off a culinary world tour where we'll make a meal from a different country or region taking a full circular route around the world. Before the taste bud travel begins, our pepper comparison guide is finally coming to help you know the differences between peppers, how hot they are, and what to cook them with.

Prior to our full guide, let's take a look at a fun way to use several different peppers together by making a middle eastern favorite and veggie go-to food: Hummus!

If you haven't had hummus before, the basic idea is to make a dip using the base ingredients of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), tahini (a paste made of sesame), and garlic. While fantastic as a dip just for using with chips or veggies, hummus has a pretty big range of applications, from using it on sandwiches in place of mayo and mustard, or spreading on tortillas to make a wrap.

The most expensive ingredient in hummus is easily the tahini, which can run as much as seven or eight dollars a jar, depending on where you get it. Tahini is available in health food stores, or at the grocery store in the same section as soy products. Although the initial investment is a bit steep, you only need about 1/4 of the jar for a single can of garbanzo beans, so it ends up evening out in the end. When using tahini, keep in mind that it will settle over time into a top liquid layer and a bottom solid layer, so be sure to mix it thoroughly before adding it to anything. 

To make our hummus a little more exciting, we're going to put in roasted vegetables. Here I've cut up large strips of annaheim, jalepeno, yellow banana pepper, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and tomato.

To roast your veggies, set the oven to "Broil" and leave the door just slightly open. Cook for about six to seven minutes, until the skins are blackened and the flesh of the peppers and tomato are getting soft.

After being cooked, allow the peppers to cool and remove the blackened skin, which peels off easily once properly roasted.

Here I've chopped up the peppers and tomato so they will blend easier once we start mixing together all the main ingredients.

Now it's time to get to the heart of the hummus creation process. In a food processor put together a can of garbanzo beans (include some of the water from the can for easier mixing), about 1/4 to 1/2 the jar of tahini, chopped garlic, the roasted peppers and tomato, a dab of vegetable oil, and the juice of 1/2 to 1 whole lemon. I recommend also chopping up a handful or two of either fresh cilantro or parsley.

While a food processor is ideal, you can also make hummus with either a blender or an electric hand mixer. If you are using a blender, make the hummus in small batches and then mix them all together to avoid overworking the appliance or having the blades get stuck on thick chunks.

Make it thinner or thicker to your liking, depending on what you plan on using the final product on, by adding in more or less liquid. This isn't the end though - you need to add in some spices to change up the flavor.  Cumin is a standard in most hummus recipes, as is salt and pepper. Adding in a few dashes of paprika also gives the end result a very nice color.  If you want to make different varieties of hummus past the norm, try adding in different hot sauces or salsa as well and then mix thoroughly.

Once you've got a nice big batch of delicious hummus, you'll need something to dip in it, and we're going to do homemade tortilla chips.  You can make great chips by frying corn tortillas in oil, but this time we're going to do something a bit healthier by baking slices of flour tortillas coated in cooking spray.

And here's the result of all that roasting, chopping, juicing, and blending, along with some fantastic (and easy!) crispy chips.

For more ideas to get started making your own dip, check out a full listing of various hummus recipes at this location.

Other Ingredient Ideas:  Green onions, habeneros, lime, Manzanilla olives, fresh basil