Vacation Hummus
vvvanessa
- Serves
- about 2 1/2 cups
On our first trip to Portugal, my father and I were meandering the streets of Lisbon when we stumbled upon Pois, Café, a bustling, slightly hipsterish restaurant that looked like the perfect place to refuel for our sightseeing. I ordered a Middle Eastern-inspired platter with carrot and cucumber salads, meatballs, fresh greens, roasted tomatoes, and an intriguing hummus which had a particular flavor I had never picked up on in hummus before. It took me a moment to figure out that the secret ingredient must be sesame oil, which made so much sense to me when I thought about how tahini-- ground sesame seeds-- is a standard ingredient in most hummus recipes.
Of all the wonderful pastries and luscious sheep cheeses and lovely pork dishes I ate on that trip, the hummus was the one thing I couldn't stop thinking about, so naturally I tried to replicate it as soon as I got home. There isn't a lot of sesame oil in the recipe, but it is one of those ingredients that can easily get out of hand, becoming bitter and unpleasant, so I aimed to use just enough to be interesting but not overpowering.
The cilantro salsa was born from a surplus of cilantro and is one of my favorite ways to use dried aleppo peppers, which are more flavorful than hot. I find that cayenne powder varies so much in intensity that I recommend starting with just a pinch and adding more to taste.
Ingredients
Hummus
- 2 cup cooked chickpeas, either homemade or a 15 1/2-ounce can
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 tablespoon tahini or almond butter
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2-3 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3-4 tablespoon (or more) warm water
Cilantro Salsa
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves (stems removed), about 1 packed cup
- 1/2-1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon aleppo pepper flakes
- 1-2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
- cayenne pepper to taste
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Directions
- Step 1
To make the hummus, combine all the ingredients except the water in a food processor and blend for a few seconds to bring them together. Add the water a tablespoon at a time, continuing to blend the hummus, until you reach the consistency you like. I add about 1/4 cup of water total because I like a lighter, looser texture. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Step 2
To make the cilantro sauce, blend all the ingredients in a food processor until it looks like a sauce. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve on top of or alongside the hummus.