One of my favorite portable foods is hummus and pita. I'm a busy mother of two
and always on the go, so I choose healthy, protein-packed foods to nourish myself and my family. I like hummus in
particular because I can whip up a batch in less than 5 minutes, and it keeps well without refrigeration. I can put it
in a plastic container along with some pita bread and raw veggie sticks and it's the perfect picnic meal. It travels
well, and would be equally great after hiking, surfing, or apres ski, too.
I like to experiment with
various nut butters in my hummus recipe. I like traditional hummus, but I also think twists on the usual are fun.
I
prefer to use dried beans which have been rehydrated and cooked until just tender. That is what I used in this recipe.
I also used salted peanut butter because I like the way the peanut flavor marries with the olives, but you can use
tahini if peanut butter doesn't appeal. I also use only lemon juice and olive oil to create the paste. I prefer a
richer, creamier emulsion. If you don't want to use as much oil as I do, subsitute some of the garbanzo cooking
water instead.2 cups garbanzo beans
1 heaping tablespoon salted peanut butter (no sugar added) or tahini
2 garlic cloves
3 large green olives, pitted
juice and zest of half a lemon
a half palmful of cumin
salt and pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil, at least 1/2 a cup, maybe more
Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend. Add olive oil in a thin stream through the feed tube until desired creaminess is achieved. Transfer to plastic container with lid. Serve with pita bread and raw veggies.
[photos: Stefania Pomponi Butler]
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