Olive Hummus

This past weekend felt more like the middle of August than mid-September. Little inclined to cook in a kitchen thick with humidity, I remembered a tempting recipe for Olive Hummus that I stumbled upon at Jugalbandi. Hummus served along with some chopped vegetables and pita breads has long been a favored solution for a quick and easy meal, and how could I resist the combined flavours of olives and chickpeas? Only slightly modified from the original recipe, this is quite possibly a new addiction. My only regret is that I didn't make twice the amount.

I'm sending this along to Lucy who is guest hosting My Legume Love Affair, a monthly event started by Susan to celebrate the mighty legume.

Olive Hummus with Sun-dried Tomatoes

1/2 cup of dried chickpeas
4 tablespoons of tahini
juice from one lime
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cayenne or jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped
3 - 4 sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 cup of black olives, pitted
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
sea salt to taste
1 teaspoon of oregano
1/4 teaspoon of paprika

Soak the beans overnight in enough water to cover. Drain, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and cover and simmer until the beans are buttery soft - roughly 1 - 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 15 minutes. Reserve the soaking liquid and roughly chop the tomatoes.

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, tahini, lime juice, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, hot pepper, cumin seeds, cayenne, olives, salt and olive oil. Process until all of the ingredients are combined and form a dip-like consistency. Add a bit of the reserved sun-dried tomato liquid if necessary.

Stir in the oregano, transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with paprika and garnish with a few olives.

Other hummus recipes you might enjoy from Lisa's Kitchen:

Turkish Yogurt Hummus

Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus