Rosemary's Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Many thanks to Rosemary for taking us along on her beautiful day of hummus.

How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, by Rosemary Gretton

First, make sure you have a red pepper. And garlic. And a can of chickpeas. And tahini. And fresh lemons. And olive oil.

Split the red pepper in two and remove seeds and white parts. Flatten and lightly coat the red pepper with olive oil.

Separate several cloves of garlic from the garlic head.

Place the red pepper outside up on a lightly oiled tray, put in toaster oven and set to convection bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meanwhile locate food processor parts in the cupboard.

Open a can of organic garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas). Drain. Place in food processor.

Take the tahini out the fridge. Measure out two tablespoons and add to garbanzo beans.

Cut a lemon in half, squeeze the lemon. Add half of the juice to the above mixture.

Doorbell rings. Answer the door. Talk to new neighbour and son. Lead them to the back garden to retrieve the basketball that came over the fence. Chitchat about the complicated high school registration process and life in Danville.

Return to the kitchen. Check on red pepper and garlic. Yup, they look roasted.

 Remove from toaster oven and place on cutting board.

Separate the burnt peel from the red pepper and discard. Cut the pepper into coarse chunks.

Set aside a small amount of the red pepper and cut into small pieces for the garnish.

Place the red pepper and garlic into the food processor.

Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil.

Look in the pantry. Find the coriander and cumin and paprika.

Add a dash of coriander, cumin and paprika to the mix.

Find the chili pepper sauce in the fridge door. Add a dash to the mix.

Whir the whole thing together for several seconds.

Check for flavors. Add a little pepper and sea salt. And a bit more cumin. Whir again. Adjust flavours to taste if necessary.

Scoop the mixture into serving dish.

Head to the herb garden on the patio to pick a few sprigs of parsley. Wash and cut parsley for garnish.

Scatter the reserved red pepper in a mound on top of the hummus. Add the parsley.

Drizzle a little olive oil around the red pepper and parsley. Sprinkle with a little paprika.

Put into fridge to serve at the potluck you are attending tomorrow along with pita bread. Or enjoy right now.

© Rosemary Gretton