I made these three dips for our housewarming party: curried hummus, roasted red pepper spread, and beet tapenade. Loved how they turned out. I think the dips were a bigger hit than the rainbow cupcakes — go figure. All three recipes come from the book Pestos, Tapenades, & Spreads. I will be using this book for every party, I can already tell. You always need a dip of some kind, and these simple recipes pack some serious flavor. I learned Saturday that a fresh homemade hummus tastes so different from the pre-packaged kinds. And these dips make excellent leftovers. Since the party, I've tossed my roasted red pepper spread on a plate of ravioli in place of tomato sauce. And the beet tapenade is playing nice with a hunk of goat cheese.
It's the curried hummus that I have to share with you today, because it's my new obsession. Curried hummus with cauliflower and broccoli. Curried hummus with carrots and celery. Curried hummus with pita and every cracker I can find. You get the picture. I'm not even the biggest hummus fan, but this one is crazy good.
curried hummus
recipe by Stacey Printz for the book Pestos, Tapenades & Spreads
one 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small dried red chile pepper, crumbled (This adds a kick and you can omit it. I couldn't find it at the store so I skipped it.)
juice of 1 to 2 medium lemons
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
6 to 7 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
Place the chickpeas, garlic, chile, lemon juice, cumin, and curry powder in the bowl of a food processor and blend until the mixture begins to bind together. With the machine running, stream in the oil and blend until the oil is incorporated and the spread is almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
makes about 1 3/4 cups
The photography in the book is great, too. I noticed that Mark Lund is the photographer. Mark shot a couple of gift guides that I produced. He's super talented and his photographs definitely add to the I-want-to-make-everything feeling that goes with this book.
ps. I'm hosting a giveway this week! If you haven't seen, be sure to check it out.
