Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Garbanzo green garlic hummus recipe with preserved lemon and sesame seeds

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Every time I go to the farmers' market I like to buy something new. In southern California, that's actually not difficult - there's so much variety that I can always find something I haven't yet tried. This week I lingered at the table with the fresh legumes. The seller has big plastic bags filled with red lentils, garbanzos, black beans, black-eyed peas and more. They're shelled, but they're raw, not dried like the grocery store variety.

I brought home a scoop of the fresh garbanzos and decided on a simple hummus. No tahini, though I did have a big container of sesame seeds. I rummaged through the refrigerator while the garbanzos were simmering. Green garlic. Parsley. Those sesame seeds. How about some preserved lemon, still in its salty syrup from last season's Meyer lemon crop? All those went into the food processor with the cooked beans and a healthy dose of olive oil. The result: a thick hummus with a strong garlic kick and a tang from the preserved lemon. Paired with broken pieces of matzoh (I overbought for Passover last week), it made the perfect appetizer for our Sunday supper with friends.

Sure, you could make this with canned garbanzos, regular garlic, lemon juice and tahini...but then it would be just plain hummus, wouldn't it?

Garbanzo green garlic hummus with preserved lemon and sesame seeds
  • 1/2 lb fresh raw garbanzo beans, shelled
  • 1/2 cup raw sesame seeds
  • 1 stalk green garlic, roughly chopped (the whole thing from immature bulb to greens)
  • 1/4 cup preserved lemon, rind and flesh (about 1/2 large lemon)
  • Large handful fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup garbanzo cooking water
  • salt and pepper to taste (the preserved lemon is salty, so you might not need it)
Cover the garbanzos with water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook about 20 minutes or until the beans are tender (not mushy).

Combine the garbanzos, sesame seeds, green garlic, preserved lemon and parsley in the bowl of a food processor and turn it on. With the processor running, pour the olive oil and water through the feed tube in a slow stream until the hummus has a consistency you like. It will get thicker as it stands, so add a little more liquid than you think you need. Season and serve with crackers or pita triangles.

5 comments:

Cookin' Canuck said...

Now this sounds like a hummus that I would not be able to stop eating! I love your spin on it.

Anonymous said...

This looks amazing!! I just picked some lovely green garlic today and will be making this. Thank you

Erika Kerekes said...

@Danazia - you picked green garlic? From your garden? I am SO JEALOUS!

Valerie said...

Looks wonderful, I am linking people to your site to try this from our blog. Is it a garlic scape you use?

Erika Kerekes said...

Valerie - thanks for showing this to your friends! I used green garlic, which is the young garlic plant, harvested (generally in spring) before the bulb starts to form. This time of year you'll have to use bulb garlic. Or try garlic chives combined with a few cloves of garlic. Let me know how it goes!

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