I became inspired by a nearly expired avocado -- another item that came in my farm box which I forgot about until I found it passing into the 5th stage of dying today -- wrinkled and very soft. I was craving a healthier snack and had my eye on the rainbow chard relish I made the other day, when I spied the avocado and decided to make some hummus with it, topped with the relish.
Hummus is so easy and versatile. All it needs is some kind of bean, salt, olive oil and lemon as a base -- the rest can be whatever you feel like adding. Today I felt like adding the withering avocado, some garbanzo and lima beans I found in my pantry, and some smoked paprika I bought in Germany. You may wonder why I bought smoked paprika in Germany. Well, I was visiting my sister Paula there, and she had just made me the most incredible dinner of Osso Buco so I wanted to repay the kindness by cooking something delicious for her. However, in the process of preparing dinner, I totally forgot to use the spice and since she doesn't cook much (and is compulsively organized), she didn't want it cluttering up her kitchen. So home it came, to clutter up my spice cabinet instead, which already had a large can of smoked paprika, along with three types of regular paprika, Spanish paprika, and hot Hungarian paprika, One ingredient my hummus was lacking was tahini - a paste made from sesame seeds. I had a large jar of tahini in my fridge, but due to an overcrowding problem brought on by my aforementioned fettish, it leapt to its death when I opened the door the other day, splattering annoyingly all over the kitchen floor. Honestly, I really wanted to clean it up myself, but since I had my hands full trying to prepare dinner and talk to my BFF on the phone at the same time, I just looked at my husband with "that look" and he, in his saintly manner, eradicated the evidence from the floor, bottom of the fridge, and cabinets. Bottom line: no tahini in this hummus, but as it turns out, it tasted great without it.
When I started to make the hummus, I reached for the olive oil - of which I have nine different bottles. I picked one that was nearly empty -- a jar of California first pressed oil - and found I would be able to finish it off but would need more. Rather than open a new bottle of EVOO, I decided to use up a jar of expeller-pressed sunflower oil (one of 12 different types of non-olive oils I happen to have cluttering up the countertop and refrigerator).
The hummus turned out delicious -- the smoked paprika really takes it over the top, and adding the swiss chard relish as a garnish on top provides a great layer of sweetness and acidity to balance the creaminess of the oils in the hummus. I ate up a serving of it with - you guessed it - left over carrots and celery from an office Superbowl party I'd arranged the day before, Can I say Superbowl, or do I need to refer to it as the Game Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned since I haven't paid my millions in royalties? The best part of using up all the excess items, of course, is making room to buy more!
Pantry Purge Hummus
1 14 oz can garbanzo beans
1 7 oz can of lima beans (or omit/substitute with any other bean)
1 tsp salt
1 ripe avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
zest of one lemon
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 large clove garlic, or two small cloves
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of sunflower seed oil (or use more EVOO or another mild flavored oil in lieu of this)
Place all the ingredients except the oil in a high speed blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of your oil of choice and puree. While the blender or processor is running, add the remaining oil until the hummus is smooth and has a nice consistency. If it is too stiff, add more oil until your desired consistency is achieved. Taste and add more salt if needed.
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