The Middle Eastern dip called hummus is no longer exotic to many Americans. Like bagels, sushi, and quiche, hummus has entered mainstream grocery or specialty food stores. It’s in a refrigerated section of the store, hopefully from a local producer, often with a label that looks like it comes from a small company but is actually from a major food conglomerate, and sometimes in multiple brands. The primary ingredients of “original” hummus are chickpeas (a/k/a garbanzo beans), tahini (ground sesame paste), lemon juice, and salt. It is often spiced with garlic, ground cumin, and sometimes cayenne or ground red (hot) pepper.
An easy snack/appetizer and a wonderful, quick lunch, hummus has been a staple in our house for years. I always used to make my own, no longer do so routinely because I have found good and reasonably priced, hummus. I’m all about homemade when it makes sense, but when I can buy good, all-natural, prepared food for less than I can make it myself, I don’t make homemade a matter of principle.
Last weekend I offered to bring hummus, vegetables and homemade pita chips to a baseball playoff party. After “doctoring” store-bought hummus – by adding lemon juice and a bit of water to make the hummus thinner and smoother, I had a brainstorm. To half of the “original” hummus, I added a roasted red pepper and a bit of smoky, sweet paprika. After letting it sit refrigerated for a couple of hours, the flavors melded together for quite a nice variation on the hummus theme. Although I could buy roasted red pepper hummus, I decided that this not-quite-homemade recipe is better and the right compromise for me between “from scratch” and bought-off–the-grocery-shelf.
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Servings – 1 ¼ cup for 6-8 as an appetizer. Cost – $4 total
Ingredients
- 1 cup of prepared “original”/chick pea-type hummus
- 1 large red pepper, roasted
- ¼ teaspoon smoky, sweet Spanish paprika (Optional – substitute Hungarian sweet paprika if you don’t have the Spanish type. I prefer the Spanish because it is smoky as well as sweet. Actually paprika is not sweet, but that term is used to distinguish it from hot paprika, which has quite a kick.)
Equipment (not including the tongs and paper bag for roasting the pepper)
- Cutting board
- Knife
- 1-cup measure
- Measuring spoons
- Small bowl
- Small food processor, immersion blender, or other chopper
- Strainer
- Spatula or large spoon
Preparation
- Roast the pepper.
- Cut the stem off the pepper and take out the seeds and white part on the inside.
- Cut the roasted pepper into strips or pieces and mash them into a pulp.
- Put the cup of hummus in the bowl and strain the roasted red pepper pulp over the hummus, pressing it through the strainer with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Discard the pulp that remains in the strainer. Resist the temptation to skip this step – without straining you can’t get a smooth texture, even if you finely mash or grind the roasted pepper.
- Add the paprika and mix.
- Refrigerate the mixture, covered, for 1-2 hours to give the flavors time to meld together.
- Serve as a dip with pita bread, pita chips, and/or cut up vegetables.
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