Hummus with Roasted Red Pepper and Feta

Here’s a nice appetizer to keep everyone busy while the main event is being prepared.  Traditionalists would cringe at any additions to hummus ingredients and I do love an excellent original hummus.  But one can hardly resist spicing things up a bit and hummus provides a wonderful canvas for doing just that.  The addition of harissa, cumin, feta, and roasted pepper raises the bar for a nice slant on traditional hummus.  This dip could easily be served with veggies, but that would really upset the status quo!

Hummus with Roasted Red Pepper and Feta

3 cloves garlic
1 tsp coarse salt
1 can drained and rinsed chick peas (organic with seaweed)
2 T organic tahini
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
2 tsp freshly ground cumin
1/2 tsp harissa
1 roasted red pepper
1/2 C good quality sheepmilk feta, in chunks
smoked Spanish paprika for flavor and color
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Smash garlic cloves with salt in a mortar and pestle.  Drain and rinse chick peas and place in food processor or blender.  Add garlic, tahini, and lemon juice and pulse or blend until well chopped.  Add roasted red pepper, harissa, and feta and allow processor to run 1 minute until mixture is finely textured.  Place in a serving bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika.  Serve with toasted, warm pita triangles.  Leftovers?  I don’t think so! 

Comments

[Christiane]

Now this looks fantastic!

[DocChuck]

As a recent immigrant to Maryland (from Arkansas), I didn't even know what "hummus" was.

But now that I have discovered it, in all of its' delicious varieties . . . I LOVE it.

Thanks for the recipe for your personal version.