Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

When I saw a recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Hummus over at The Budding Cook, I instantly had a craving for some. Of course, it's easy to buy a small tub of good quality hummus in London, but it's much more satisfying to experiment in your own kitchen, especially if you are like me and want some hummus with a spicy kick. Originating in the Middle East and now popular throughout the world, hummus is a thick dip or spread consisting mainly of ground chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice. This versatile blend of flavors can be enhanced with an infinite combination of herbs, spices and vegetables.

I'm not one to boast, but I can honestly say the recipe I came up with yielded some of the best hummus I have tasted to date. I added a bit of cream cheese to my hummus, but I'm thinking goat's cheese would work just as nicely and plan to try it next time. Adjust the amount of olive oil you use to achieve your desired consistency. If you want to roast your own peppers instead of using the jarred variety, detailed instructions can be found here.

Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas (about 3/4 cup dried chickpeas)
1 medium red pepper, roasted and chopped into small bits
1 habanero pepper, roasted and chopped into small bits
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon of paprika
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 heaping tablespoon of tahini
2 - 3 tablespoons of cream cheese
juice from one lime
2 - 3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 - 1 teaspoon of sea salt

Combine the peppers, garlic, spices, tahini, cheese and lime juice in a small bowl. In a food processor, blend with the chickpeas, olive oil and salt until smooth. If necessary, process the mixture in batches. Serve with flatbread, such as pita, crackers and vegetables.

Makes approximately 2 cups of hummus.