glorious hummus for bean month

Perhaps January should be the official month of the bean?

I pulled out the chickpeas and whirled up a batch of glorious hummus in early January, feeling content I could use the humble and healthy chickpea to make such a tasty spread.

And suddenly – everywhere I looked – there were beans!  

Chard and white bean stew 

Split pea soup 

Black-eyed pea and chorizo soup 

Rancho Gordo beans 

Lentil and root vegetable soup 

I see that soup is also emerging as a January theme. If you must have both soup and beans, may I also suggest red lentil coconut curry soup? Or, ripe bean soup?

Now, back to the hummus for bean month. This hummus is everything I ever wanted in a hummus: subtly spicy with a kick of sriracha hot sauce, rounded out with just enough roasted red pepper to make you wonder what the secret ingredient is.

The recipe has evolved in three distinct stages, and I was lucky enough that my friend Queenie passed it on to me at its third and most delicious stage.

As you might have guessed by the ingredient list, it also has an impressive multicultural pedigree. It is a Middle Eastern-Chinese-Haligonian recipe. Seriously.

The recipe was born at the Coburg Coffee House in Halifax, a cozy coffee shop in an old house near Dalhousie University. Queenie, who is from Hong Kong, worked at the coffee shop for a few months this fall. While she was there, Queenie made the original glorious hummus recipe. Then, her coworker Denise shared her secret recipe: add sriracha hot sauce, curry powder and roasted red pepper or pimentos. Queenie loved it, but then she took it to the next level . . . with honey and cinnamon.

Honey and cinnamon in hummus! I was shocked, but I trust Queenie, so I tried it. She is, of course, absolutely right. You don’t really taste the honey and cinnamon, but they add another sweet round dimension to the hummus. Trust us, you will like it.

Happy bean month!

last january: shortbread in january

glorious hummus

28 oz. chickpeas, canned (or dried and softened)

1 tbsp. tahini

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 clove garlic

3/4 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. curry powder

sprinkle of cinnamon

1 tbsp. olive oil

3 sundried tomatoes, softened and chopped finely

1/4 c. roasted red pepper or 2 tbsp. pimentos

1/2 tsp. sriracha hot sauce (for a moderate kick)

1 tbsp. honey

salt and pepper to taste

Set aside the chickpeas. Process everything else in a food processor or blender until it’s a nice paste.

Add half of the chickpeas and process until everything is blended. Add the rest of the chickpeas and process again until you have a smooth, glorious hummus.

Delicious on its own with crackers and carrots, or in a wrap or on a sandwich.