Artichoke and Olive Hummus

 

I feel like hummus is one of those recipes that is so simple, it seems to consistently surprise others when you describe the process.  Fear not, non-cooks, we aim to surprise you as well!  This hummus recipe combines the classic variety and tops it with a lemony, garlicky, olive oil-licious batch of chopped artichokes and green olives.  Of course, any grocery isle will remind you that hummus comes topped with an incredible variety of veggies, nuts and flavors, so feel free to substitute as your testy taste buds or choosy guests require.

Ingredients – Hummus:

• 2 cans of garbanzo beans, drained but reserve the liquid
• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
• Tahini (if you follow my instructions, I would tell you to put at least a quarter cup, but I love sesame.  Some recipes omit all together, others call for as a little as 2 tablespoons so obviously the choice is up to you.  I love the smooth, nutty flavor and tend to be a bit heavy handed)
• 1/5 cup of olive oil
• 1 lemon, halved
• Garlic Chili Paste – because we can’t post a recipe without it!
• Salt and pepper to taste

Blend or pulse the drained garbanzo beans, minced garlic, tahini and olive oil together until well combined.  Slowly add – still blending! – the reserved liquid from the cans of beans until the mixture becomes smooth and most of the lumps disappear.  Add lemon juice and garlic/chili paste to taste. For this hummus recipe, I typically use the juice of half a lemon as the artichoke topping also uses lemon juice.  Add salt and a bit of pepper and combine well. 

Ingredients – Artichoke and Olive Top-Hat:

• 1 can of artichoke hearts (NOT marinated, if you use marinated, you’re on your own)
• 1 large clove of minced garlic
• 1/5 cup of chopped green olives
• Lemon, halved (you can likely use the second half from the hummus)
• A few heavy tablespoons of good olive oil

Chop well the artichoke hearts, discarding any hard or spiky outer leaves.  Add the garlic, olives, lemon and olive oil. Combine well and let set at room temperature for a few hours.  Just before you serve the hummus, top the serving with a few mounds of the artichoke mixture and dig in.  Serve with garlic toast points or warmed pitas triangles.

 

Note: right after making the recipe I threw the ingredients in tupperware to transport to the ol’ annual holiday party.  I took the liberty of assuming that cheekykitchen wouldn’t mind my borrowing her awesome hummus photo to showcase a final product, albeit, not my own.