Chickpea Dip En Fuego
Why I Love This Recipe
I love finding interesting recipes that take a classic dish and make it extraordinary. This chickpea dip is given a nutty flavor by adding walnuts to the puree and then topped off with a deliciously spicy red pepper oil.
Ingredients You'll Need
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and skins rubbed off (if you'd like)
2 cups cooked (or canned) garbanzo beans, drained
1 medium clove garlic
juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup hot water
Directions
Make the hot pepper oil a day or so ahead of time by heating the olive oil in a small saucepan for a couple minutes - until it is about as hot as you would need it to saute some onions, but not so hot that it smokes or smells acrid or burned. Turn off the heat and stir in the crushed red pepper flakes. Set aside and let cool, ideally for a day or two - to let the flavor really develop.
To make the dip, give the walnuts a spin in the food processor, just until they are a sandy texture. Add most of the garbanzos, 1 or 2 tablespoons of the red chile oil (oil only, no flakes), garlic, and lemon juice. Now process until smooth. Drizzle in the water a bit at a time and puree more, until the hummus is creamy and billowy. I tend to let the food processor run for a minute or so at this point, it incorporates air into the puree and makes it a nice texture. Taste to adjust the seasoning.
Serve in a shallow bowl, drizzled with plenty of the remaining oil and red pepper flakes.
