Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Citrus Spiced Olives with Pita
As part of our Ha’atzmaut celebration (or any other day you just crave hummus). We present this Middle Eastern classic. This version is a Roasted red pepper Hummus. But, you can substitute flavors or go with a straight hummus by omitting the peppers all together. Usually, I would go with a funkier flavor. But, there are a lot of dishes to get to. This is intended to be a simple starter that takes little effort to make. Plus, celebrating Independence day usually involves kids. They may not appreciate Yuzu tamarind or rutabaga allspice hummus. They may not appreciate hummus at all.
This recipe can be achieved with little to no cooking. It is an instance where canned beans and peppers are okay. If you want to use fresh and cook your own peppers, have at it. The key here is simplicity. In just a few minutes, you can make a decent quality roasted red pepper hummus with little effort.
As a bonus, we put in a recipe for spiced olives. It is simple as well. We grille the lemons to accent the flavor, but you can use plain lemons as well. It’s simply olives and seasonings. It may seem a little redundant to add in olive oil. But, the oil helps the spices adhere to the olives. For best results, make it a day or 2 ahead so the spices have time to infuse. Do yourself a favor and get higher quality olives. The black ones in the can are like tire rubber. A nice country mix, Kalamata, or castelvetrano make for a pleasant experience. But, please, don’t shoplift the olives.
Roasted Pepper Hummus and Citrus Spiced Olives with Pita
Ingredients
- 1 cup Garbanzo beans (cooked or canned)
- 6 each garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp Tahini paste
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1/2 cup Olive oil extra virgin
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- For the olives
- 1 cup Mixed olives (preferably without pits)
- 1 whole lemon
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil Extra Virgin
- 1/4 tsp crushed chili flakes
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 tsp chopped fresh time (or 1/4 tsp dried)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pita bread to serve with the hummus
Instructions
- Drain garbanzo/chic peas well.
- Put garlic in a food processor and mince fine. Add in the garbanzos and pulse, scrape down the sides repeatedly to make sure it gets chopped smooth.
- When the garbanzos are relatively smooth, add in the peppers, tahini, lemon juice, and seasonings. Process until a smooth paste is achieved. Scrape down sides to incorporate everything well.
- With the processor running, drizzle in the oil in a steady stream. When it reaches a consistency that is smooth, but not too loose, stop adding the oil. Too much will make it runny.
- Put hummus in a serving bowl and chill or leave at room temperature.
- For the olives: Slice the lemons relatively thin. Grille the slices at a high temperature. Then cut them into 1/4's.
- Drain the olives of any liquid. Toss in a bowl with all the other ingredients. Then bowl them up to serve. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to blend.
- Cut pita bread into wedges and/or cut some fresh vegetables. Serve alongside the hummus and olives