DIP RECIPES

Black-eyed Pea Spread

The Washington Post called it "hummus", still showing itself completely clueless about the Middle East.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
12 cloves garlic (one medium bulb)
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup jarred pimentos or roasted red bell peppers, drained
Salt to taste
A pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinches of other herbs or seasoning as desired - I use fresh basil and mint and ground cumin

Brown the garlic and onion and pepper with a tablespoon of the oil. Toss all ingredients in a blender and grind and chop until smooth.


Traditional Hummus

1 clove garlic
1 (16 to 19 ounce) can garbanzo beans
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini or sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch coarse black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 loose cup fresh herbs - mint, basil, parsley are good choices
1 tsp ground cumin

If you do not have tahini paste use a coffee grinder to finely grind the sesame seeds, roasted are clearly best. Place all ingredients in blender or food processor and chop and grind until very smooth.

Serve with pita bread or roasted tortillas sliced into 8 pieces each.


Making this now for New Years Eve. Like the Black-eyed peas tradition and this is a good recipe for them.