Columbia, Missouri loves its hummus. For good reason, it’s on nearly every menu downtown (the Artisan, Coffee Zone, Main Squeeze, Sycamore, Café Berlin, Forge and Vine, Felini, International Café…)
The stuff is delicious, and nearly anything can be dipped in it. Chips, pita, vegetables, index fingers…
This roasted red pepper version is a little different than others you’ll find around town. And making it is easier than finding parking on Ninth Street or Broadway.
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Loosely based on Ziyad Brand recipe for Chickpea Dip
- 1 can (15.5 oz) cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans
- 1/3 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling on top)
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika (plus more for sprinkling on top)
- Salt
- Few sprigs of fresh parsley
Turn the broiler on, wash the bell pepper and rub with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet for a few minutes on each side until charred. You can put the pepper into a plastic bag while it’s hot so that it steams and the skins come off easier, but that’s not always necessary. Peel off skin, remove stem, and take out seeds.
Add garbanzo beans (drain if using canned) to blender/food processor/Magic Bullet with roasted red pepper, tahini, lemon juice, clove of garlic (I used one, but thought it could have used two), olive oil, cumin, cayenne, paprika, and a few shakes of salt. You’ll probably need 2 tablespoons of water, depending on how thick your tahini was.
Once it’s blended a bit, taste, and adjust salt, spices and lemon juice as necessary. Add water if the blender can’t process it. Hummus should still be thick, though. Serve with paprika, chopped parsley and olive oil on top. Eat with pita, tortilla chips, carrots, cucumber or anything really. We had ours spread on roasted eggplant and zucchini sandwiches.
