One of my favourite eats! Depending on how you want to serve it and how much of it you want to make, it is: a dip, a spread, a meal, and it comes in amazing colours. Very versatile, you can really be creative with your dish composition, and it’s more nourishing and healthier than most side dishes and starters.
I usually make this type of bean hummus recipe and serve it as a dip/spread with red onion relish or roasted red onion and paprika topping. For this end-of-summer casual cook-out I made it with roasted peppers – the hummus and the topping – and it looks deliciously Eastern Mediterranean …
Photo: Nathalie Marquez Courtney
White Bean Hummus with Roasted Peppers and Crushed Hazelnuts
You can use a variety of white beans, such as butter beans, cannelini, flageolet. I make it with cannelini, as they are slightly softer and sweeter than butter beans and you don’t need to separate the skins.
Ingredients
For approximately ten servings:
6 teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 garlic heads
5 red onions (optional)
4 cans of canellini beans or other white beans
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste (you might want to make it spicier if it’s a dip)
paprika to taste
1-2 pieces of rehydrated sundried tomato
roasted peppers
whole crushed hazelnuts
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 180°.
2. Roast most of the garlic and the red onions separately in the oven for around 20 minutes or until soft and golden brown. Keep some fresh garlic for the hummus paste and half of the roasted red onions to garnish the dish at the end.
4. In a food processor, combine the beans, the roasted garlic and half of the roasted red onions, approx. 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, 1-2 fresh garlic cloves and the sundried tomatoes and process until smooth.
5. Add the salt, paprika and pepper and mix well. It should taste salty and sweet.
6. To serve, transfer to a bowl, garnish with the remaining red onions, roasted peppers (store-bought or roasted in the oven for 15 mins with oil and balsamic vinegar and your favourite condiments), parsley leaves and crushed hazelnuts (optional but great if it is a seasonal harvest dish). You can serve it warm straight away, but you will find that it is most delicious cold, the next day.
You can serve it as a dip for vegetables, or on toasted sourdough or black bread, with red onions and tomatoes salad, tossed spring onion Asian salad, kimchi or sour pickles or roasted peppers salad.
