Smoky Carrot Hummus
MAKES 2 CUPS
If you’re lucky, you can find safe hummus at the grocery store, but it’s not always easy—many have lemon juice or additives. I love to use white vinegar and sumac to bump up the “citrus” flavor I’m missing whenever I make my own at home. A trick for super creamy hummus is to boil canned chickpeas for about 20 minutes with ½ teaspoon of baking soda. This softens the chickpeas and their skins, so the hummus has an incredibly smooth texture. I used to be one of those crazy people who popped each chickpea out of their skin, but the boiling essentially does the same thing, more easily. It’s simple to figure out how to make good, traditional hummus with the tips above, so I wanted to give you something unique with this recipe. The carrot adds a hint of sweetness and pairs beautifully with the smoked paprika. If you love Southwestern flavors, you’ll really enjoy this one.
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup roughly chopped carrots (about 1 large carrot)
1 clove garlic
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
1⁄3 cup tahini
2–4 tablespoons ice water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1⁄8 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pita chips, celery sticks, radishes, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, and/or baby carrots for dipping
Drain the chickpeas and transfer to a small saucepan. Add just enough water to cover the chickpeas and add the baking soda. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow chickpeas to simmer until they look a little larger and are soft, with some skins falling off, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool.
Meanwhile, add the carrots to another small saucepan, cover with water, and boil until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain into the same colander as the chickpeas and let cool.
In a food processor, combine the garlic and vinegar. Blend until the garlic is minced. Add the tahini and mix until smooth, then add ice water to thin the mixture out until smooth and creamy. Add the cumin, smoked paprika, chile powder, salt, and the softened chickpeas and carrots. Process everything until smooth and creamy. Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl, cover, and chill for roughly 30 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.
Serve with pita chips, celery, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers… and even more carrots.
