Chipotle Hummus

Being on holidays for a week and a half makes it hard to come back to the kitchen.

It also doesn't help that the man in my life stayed in the office until 10:30 last night (I brought them pizza), and we're planning to take his visiting coworkers out to dinner tonight as well.  My rhythms are off and my thoughts are dry.

I spotted some fresh mozzarella in the grocery store on Monday and snapped it up.  We've got cremini mushrooms, too, and some sort of halal sausage I picked up in the Istanbul airport.  We even have tomato passata waiting in the fridge.  It'd be perfect for pizza... if only we hadn't had it last night.

(I am still looking for mozzarella recipes that aren't pizza, lasagna or summer salads...!)

I'm trying to get back into my routine at work as well as at home.  Yes, now I remember... an afternoon without errands means I get home by 4:30 and have an hour and a half to fill before my man gets home.  Usually I'll start cooking, but that's out for tonight.  So I pureed myself up a snack.

Hummus is brilliant.  It requires no cooking, takes less than 20 minutes to put together, is a beautiful source of protein and can take dozens of flavors.  It uses ingredients you can find in almost any place in the world.  It keeps in the fridge and you can put it on just about anything.  Although it benefits hugely from giving the flavors a few hours to blossom, you can also eat it right away.

It's a point of connection between me and the dear man, because we came to each other with different hummus recipes to compare.  I've taken a page from his book and added cumin every time; I don't know if he has from me.  I like mine so creamy it might as well be a lotion, while he takes his on the drier side.

I read that taking the skins off the chickpeas makes the hummus less bitter, so I do that now.  It takes an extra 5 or 8 minutes, but I don't mind at all.  This is the kind of tedium I find meditative - unlike that at work, which is nothing but stressful.  There's a quick way and a long way to do it.  You dump the chickpeas into fresh water, and the skins float once separated from the peas.  Either rub peas together by the handful until the friction removes the skins -- do this to several handfuls and you'll have 90% of the skins off -- or go through one by one and give each pea a firm pinch.  After you've done a dozen or so, you'll learn by sight and texture which peas still have their skins on.  It doesn't matter if you miss one, or 8, or 15.  It makes the hummus smoother and lighter, at least I think so.

My version will leave your mouth a-tingle (but no more) with the chilis and the fresh garlic.  I spent a good 10 minutes tasting and adding lemon juice, drop by drop, hoping for an extra zing, til I checked the fridge and realized cilantro was exactly what I was looking for.  Next time, instead of just for garnish, I will chop some cilantro and mix it right in after the hummus comes out of the blender.

I made a fun variation, but feel free to omit all traces of chipotle for a plain batch.  Or add your own twist: sundried tomatoes, cumin, roasted red peppers, sweet potatoes (I've seen it done!)

Here are some lemons that have been in the fridge for a couple of weeks.  Did you know African lemons typically stay green?  It's the colder night temperatures from other climates that make their peel change color - a week in the fridge'll do!

Chipotle Hummus

serves 4-8 snackers
total time: 18 minutes

ingredients:

1 can chickpeas
2 tbsp tahini
1 chipotle in adobo
5 glugs chipotle Tabasco sauce
1 large clove garlic, diced or microplaned
1/2 tsp cumin
2 or 3 tsp olive oil
1/2 lemon, squeezed
1 tbsp chickpea liquid, as needed
salt and pepper to taste
smoked paprika to garnish
2 tsp chopped cilantro

directions:

Drain the can of chickpeas, reserving their liquid.  Empty chickpeas into a large bowl and cover with a few inches of fresh water.  Remove the skins.

To remove the chickpea skins the quicker way: Take handfuls of chickpeas.  Rub between your hands until the friction removes most of the skins.  Put back into the water and skim the floating skins from the surface.  Discard.  The longer way: Pick peas a few at a time.  Firmly pinch until the pea pops out of its skin and discard the skin.  Return the pea to the water.

Drain the fresh water, leaving only chickpeas.  Dump into a food processor.  Chop the chickpeas, by themselves, as finely as you can.  This should result in a dry mass somewhere between a paste and a powder.

Add tahini, chipotle and Tabasco if using.  Blend again until well-mixed.  Add garlic, cumin, olive oil and lemon juice; blend again.  If the texture is too thick, add some chickpea liquid.

Taste and adjust seasonings.  Be on the sparing side with garlic and lemon; these will open up after a few hours.  Stir in the chopped cilantro, reserving a pinch for garnish.  Garnish with cilantro and paprika.

Spread onto crackers, bread, tortillas (makes an awesome addition to quesadillas) or anything else you desire.  As for me, I am munching on some brown bread crackers I picked up on my way out of Ireland in the airport's last-chance foodie store.

Wrights of Howth, I will never be able to resist you.