Roasted Garlic Hummus Dip

Hummus, hummus, hummus.. Oh how I adore this dip. One of my favourite combinations is fresh pita dipped in hummus. Whether it be a condiment for a sandwich or as a dip for bread or vegetables this tasty snack can be enjoyed in a variety of ways.

The origin of this recipe comes from a Lebanese co-worker of my mother. Authentic versions of recipes are the best! The only change I made was the addition of roasted garlic.

My big issue with quite a few North American hummus recipes is the addition of a sweetener, like honey. I've always preferred a savoury hummus over a sweet version. Classic hummus with chickpeas as the sole main ingredient is delicious but the addition of a roasted vegetable really brings the flavour over the top. I'm of the opinion that roasting vegetables is the BEST way to consume them. Roasting garlic brings out a mellower garlic flavour, making it an ideal companion for the lightness of hummus.

The most time-consuming part of this entire recipe is waiting for the garlic to roast. You can bypass this by keeping a store of roasted garlic cloves in the freezer ready to use whenever it's needed. Roasted garlic can be used in place of plain garlic in any recipe you can think of. I highly suggest you keep a store of frozen cloves on hand.

Roasting garlic is pretty simple besides the long cook time. Just peel the outer loose layers from the head of garlic. Cut the top off the garlic, anywhere from a quarter to half an inch. Place the head of garlic in a muffin tin, face-up for convenience. Pour some olive oil on top as well as a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with some aluminum foil and cook in a preheated oven at 400 °F for at least 40 minutes. Check it every couple minutes after the 40 minute mark and remove when the top is a nice golden brown colour. If you want to toast the top of the cloves turn the head upside down and cook for an extra minute or two to more heavily brown the top of the cloves. The roasted cloves should easily pop out of the skin. Either use a knife tip to remove them or gently squeeze them out. Use within a couple of hours or freeze for long term storage.

The main component of hummus is chickpeas, otherwise known as garbanzo beans. These little legumes have a ton of protein and are probably my favourite bean. I like to use a can of chickpeas for this recipe since canned beans have already been cooked, saving time. Thoroughly rinse the beans in a colander before using them for this recipe. If you only have dried chickpeas then cook them according to their directions which generally means soaking them before cooking.

*Quick tip: when cooking dried beans use a pressure cooker for best results! Without a pressure cooker sometimes dried beans are still hard even after cooking them in a pot on the stove.

The making of a hummus dip is pretty quick, with relatively few ingredients. All you need is a food processor or blender, some tahini (sesame seed paste), freshly-squeezed lemon juice, water, the above-mentioned chickpeas, some garlic (plain or roasted), salt, pepper and some garnish.

To start with, add the tahini paste, lemon juice, warm water and a clove or two of roughly chopped roasted garlic to the food processor. Secure the cover and process until smooth, which should take no more than a minute.

While the food processor is still running, slowly add the chickpeas through the opening, a bit at a time as well as salt and pepper to taste. The dip is done when a consistent, thick paste has formed. The hummus dip will thicken a bit more in the fridge as it chills so if it is too thick, add some more water. The total water added shouldn't exceed 1/2 cup.

Place the finished dip in a container and chill until ready to serve. Hummus can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for no more than a week. Right before serving, use the back of a spoon to make pretty ridges in the dip, garnish with a dash of olive oil, extra minced roasted garlic and some parsley. The garnish is, as always, optional. The hummus can be enjoyed in Plain Jane format as well.

Hummus is great as an appetizer for crowds large or small. Serve it with some kind of bread like pita or naan as well as a variety of raw vegetables. The perfect healthy snack.

This hummus recipe can be easily customized from here. Try adding roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, different herbs, beets for a beautiful purple colour and earthy flavour, etc. The sky's the limit so don't be afraid to make this recipe your own.