The Recipe
Carrot Hummus with Spring Vegetable Crudités
Blending carrots, chickpeas, and tahini produces a hummus with a captivating new taste. Cook the carrots first to heighten their sweetness, and then surround the fluffy spread with a garland of crunchy spring vegetables for dipping. Briefly blanching sugar snap peas and asparagus tips will brighten their color.
Wine suggestion: California Chardonnay or California Sauvignon Blanc
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ pound (225 g) carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
- Sea salt
- ½ teaspoon whole cumin seed or ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 can (15.5 oz/439 g) chickpeas, drained, or 2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 2 large cloves garlic
- ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
- ½ cup tahini
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- Aleppo pepper, hot red pepper flakes, or paprika
- Spring vegetables for dipping, such as radishes, baby carrots, roasted beets, sugar snap peas, asparagus tips, Persian cucumbers, hearts of romaine, and scallions
Makes 2 to 2-1/2 cups
Directions
Heat a 10-inch (25-cm) skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When the oil is almost smoking, add the carrots and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the carrots have wilted slightly and lost their crunch, about 3 minutes. Set the skillet aside.
If using whole cumin seed, put the cumin seed in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, shaking the skillet often, until the cumin seed darkens and begins to smell fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool, then pound fine in a mortar.
Put the carrots, toasted cumin or ground cumin, chickpeas, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor and process until very finely chopped. Add the tahini and process until well blended. With the machine running, add enough water through the feed tube to make a smooth puree, about 1/3 cup. Add salt to taste and more lemon if desired. Process for 5 minutes to make a smooth, light hummus. Transfer to a serving plate, spreading it with a rubber spatula and making some “valleys” where oil can pool.
Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook, shaking the skillet constantly, until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Immediately pour the hot oil and pine nuts over the hummus. Sprinkle with Aleppo pepper and serve at once with vegetables for dipping.
