Hummus wannabe

Is it really hummus if it doesn’t have chickpeas/garbanzo beans?

I vote yes! Especially when you’re subbing them out for good reason, such as, for LUCK!

This is the second appetizer and the second recipe using black-eyed peas for the Friday the 13th Dinner Party.  As a reminder, 1-pound of dried black-eyed peas makes enough cooked peas for both this hummus and the salsa.

Black-Eyed Pea Hummus

3 cups cooked black-eyed peas (procedure HERE)
3 peeled garlic cloves
1/3 to 1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/3 cup tahini
Water to thin hummus, if needed
Smoked paprika
Pita chips and/or crudités for serving

Place black-eyed peas, garlic, 1/3 cup lemon juice, salt and olive oil in a food processor and process until smooth.

Add the cilantro, cumin, and tahini and process until combined.  Taste and adjust lemon juice, salt, and tahini as needed.

If the hummus is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water and process.

TIP: I’ve said this before, but it’s too good not to give a gentle reminder.

When you have a thick or gooey mixture in a food processor, after taking out all that you can easily remove, return the bowl to the machine, replace the lid, and process for a second or two.

The centrifugal force will fling all the mixture off the blade and make it easy to remove the rest of the mixture from the bowl and make the blade nearly clean as a whistle!

Transfer the hummus to a flat serving dish, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with smoked paprika.

Makes about 3 cups