Farmers Market Hummus

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Farmers Market Hummus ~ heirloom cherry tomatoes and basil are a perfect match with the classic Mediterranean chickpea dip ~ it's summer in an appetizer!

Ingredients

• hummus
• 2 14-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed very well
• 4 cloves garlic (peeled)
• juice of 1 large lemon
• ½ cup Tahini
• extra virgin olive oil, about 1/4 cup
• ½ cup cold water
• salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• topping
• a pint of multicolored heirloom cherry tomatoes (or whatever you can find)
• fresh basil leaves
• extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
• salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• ¼ cup toasted pine nuts (I toast mine with a little olive oil in a skillet until they turn golden)

Method

1. Put the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini and olive oil into a powerful blender or food processor. Turn the machine on low, then raise it to high, adding the water as the chickpeas start to break down. Let the machine go for several minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary, until the hummus is silky smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the hummus out onto a shallow bowl.
2. Slice the tomatoes in half or quarters and put in a bowl. If your basil leaves are small, leave them whole, otherwise thinly slice them and add them, along with the pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper, and toss with olive oil.
3. Pour a swirl of olive oil over the surface of the hummus, and top with the tomatoes. Scatter the pine nuts over all.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island