My tastebuds were leaning toward a hummus flavored with tomatoes and red bell peppers, something Southwestern-ish, so I really wanted to use black beans. But lo and behold - I had none. I did have a cup of dried black eyed peas, however, and because I really wanted hummus (and was too lazy to walk to the store), I did a quick boil and soak, and then cooked the peas to tenderness. Beans are bland enough that just about any kind can be successfully used in a hummus-like preparation, but black-eyed peas are a little more South than Southwest.
Tahini is another traditional hummus ingredient, but just about any nut butter will do. If peanut butter is good enough for Alton Brown, then it's good enough for me. But I happened to have a can of tahini in the fridge, so that peanut butter hummus will have to wait another day. I did have bags of sundried tomatoes and sundried bell peppers (find them at nuts.com), which were rehydrated in boiling water, and the whole mess was bunged into the Magimix. (Sorry. Channeling Jamie Oliver there.)
Cumin and garlic are usually found in hummus, but to spice it up a bit more, I added some ground chipotle for a smoky kick. The result was quite luscious, and we scooped it up with chips made from stale flour tortillas.
South x Southwest Hummus
1/2 cup loosely packed sundried tomatoes
1/2 cup loosely packed sundried red bell peppers (or 1 jarred or freshly roasted red bell pepper)
3 tablespoons tahini
2 cups cooked or canned black eyed peas (or your favorite bean)
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper (or 1/2 canned chipotle in adobo)
extra virgin olive oil, as needed
salt to taste
chopped scallions
Place sundried tomatoes and peppers (if using) in a saucepan with about a cup of water. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature.
Drain tomatoes and peppers and chop coarsely. Place in the bowl of a food processor with the tahini, beans, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and chipotle. Blend until well puréed, adding olive oil to aid the process. (If you're using jarred bell pepper, you'll need less oil than if you use the sundried.) The texture should be thick enough to be scooped with pita or tortilla chips, but not so thick that the chip would break. Add salt to taste.
Serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and garnished with chopped scallions.
Posted on Minxeats.com.
