Napa Farmhouse 1885™: Silky Pumpkin Hummus

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Silky Pumpkin Hummus

My friend Shera gave me a huge bag of dried organic chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) a few weeks ago. She laughingly told me that "I can't resist the food co-op. And I forget 4 of my children are grown ups and no longer live with me. I always buy way too much...please take some off my hands!" Well...OK, sure. I mean..score! Who doesn't love free food? And something as delicious as chickpeas makes the gift even better.

So I have been cooking lots and lots of chickpeas. I add them to chili, salad, casseroles and pasta. I mash them and shape into patties and fry for delicious vegetarian burgers. And I make hummus...massive quantities of hummus. The new "thing" seems to be pumpkin hummus as I have seen recipes for this interesting sounding dish popping up all over the place. When Food Network asked for recipes featuring a Halloween-themed post (produce related) for this week's Fall Fest I knew I had the perfect treat....no tricks here.

I simply added some pumpkin puree to my favorite hummus recipe. The pumpkin adds a subtle sweetness to traditional hummus. You don't really taste it...but there is a hint of something different. The jalapeno gives this a bit of a kick so add as much or as little hot pepper as you like. I always forget how easy it is to make hummus....whenever I buy some at the market (and pay exorbitant prices) I want to kick myself! Once you soak and cook the chickpeas, the recipe takes 5 minutes. Pressed for time? Use organic canned beans and warm them in the microwave prior to the food processor. Give this recipe a try...you will be glad you did. Happy Halloween!

Silky Pumpkin Hummus
(makes 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans, same thing)
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup tahini
1 clove garlic
1/2 fresh jalapeno or cayenne pepper, seeded with ribs removed
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 cup pumpkin puree either fresh or canned (plain, not pumpkin pie puree)

Place dried chickpeas in large stockpot and cover with water by about 4 inches. Cover and allow to soak 12 hours. (I do this the night before I plan to make the hummus).

After soaking add enough water to again cover chickpeas by 4 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Check beans every half hour for water level. Add additional water if needed to keep beans covered. After 1 hour, check chickpeas by tasting one. They should be very tender without any "tooth" when you bite. If not tender enough, cook an additional 15-30 minutes. (note, the older the peas are the longer they will take to cook. If you are making chickpeas for a salad they should be a bit firmer than for hummus. Experiment until you find the texture you like.)

Drain chickpeas reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Measure 3 cups warm chickpeas and place in bowl of food processor. Reserve the rest for another use. Add 1/2 cup cooking liquid and the remaining ingredients to bowl. Process until very smooth. Add additional cooking liquid if needed, hummus should be very soft and smooth. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Bring to room temperature. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Place in serving bowl and drizzle 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over top. Serve with pita chips, olives, crudite platter, crackers or tortilla chips.

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