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It is no secret that I adore hummus. I think if I had to pick a favorite food, hummus would be it. It even won us a bottle of rum in Jamaica! We played a newlywed game when we were on our honeymoon there and they asked Roberto what my favorite food was. When he thought about it, the most logical answer was hummus. When they asked me to guess what he said, I had to think about it for a minute. I mean I love all kinds of foods and have so many memories in my mind of different food experiences, it is hard to imagine choosing just one. But when I thought logically about what Roberto would have answered, I knew it had to be hummus, because it is the most consistent staple of my diet. I eat it almost daily, and it is not only filling and delicious, but it is really healthy and easy to grab when you have the munchies. Not only that, you can be as creative as you want with it. Purists may balk, but I say be adventurous with your hummus! So when I read that Tony Tahhan’s Taste of the Mediterranean event this month was focused on Lebanon (one of my favorite cuisines) and Hummus (my favorite food), I knew I was in!

I adore the original, unadulterated hummus. The one with just a few essential ingredients: chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and salt, maybe a little water to thin it out. There is nothing better….except for when you add a little somethin’ somethin’. For this event, in honor of hummus and Jamaica, I have decided to add some special Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce we got while there (because I adore it) and adorn it with a few pine nuts for some added texture! bring on the heat!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 can of chick peas, skinned (skinning them gives you that creamy texture!)
½ cup tahini
1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
1 tsp cumin
juice of 2 lemons (or more to taste)
2 cloves of garlic smashed and finely minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
as much scotch bonnet pepper sauce (or any other hot sauce - smooth or chunky) as you can handle. Harrisa would go great in this!
2 TBS toasted pine nuts for taste

METHOD:

Place all the ingredients, except the olive oil, hot pepper sauce and pine nuts, into a food processor. Blend until it is the desired consistency. (I prefer a smooth hummus, but hummus can also be chunky. If you prefer a really chunky hummus, I recommend using a mortar and pestle). Start streaming the olive oil in slowly. Add water by the teaspoon if the hummus is to dry or pasty. Place in a serving bowl, drizzle with hot pepper sauce, a little more olive oil and top with pine nuts.