Chickpea and Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

A delicious, high-protein snack

I've told you before about my absolute love for legumes, chickpeas in particular. Canned chickpeas are definitely at the top of my list of pantry staples, and maybe even a desert-island must for me too. Hmmm, maybe my desert island should be located someplace where chickpeas grow in happy profusion, for instance in the Aegean Sea. Do chickpeas flourish in the Aegean Sea? I've no idea, although it's kind of nice to imagine.

But I digress. I've made this Mark Bittman-inspired hummus recipe a few times since it appeared in the New York Times just a few weeks ago, and I love it. I take scoops of it with pieces of crisp flatbread when I start feeling hungry in between meals. Hummus is a great nutritious high-protein snack. It's not just for potluck, people!

This version turns out a lovely shade of ochre with the addition of sun-dried tomatoes and pimenton, which is smoked Spanish paprika (another must-have for the spice rack).

For some reason, Bittman goes to the trouble to cook his chickpeas first - while this does provide good, tasty liquid to moisten the spread, it's not what I call fast. I've found that cooking chickpeas can have iffy results. I try buying them at stores that seem to stock fresh dried beans, but I have no patience for them. Most of the bulk dried chickpeas I've taken home take way too long to cook. After a few hours of boiling what seems like a potful of pebbles that never seem to soften, I reach for a good old can. And for this recipe, which otherwise comes together in a snap, shaving a few hours off the prep time is a good thing.

I also go for the oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes here, rather than the dried ones he calls for. I think they add rich olive-oily moistness to the hummus.

This spread is simply fantastic as a dip, but I've also spread some on tortillas with a little goat cheese for killer quesadillas.

If you're a fan of chickpeas, you might also like these recipes:

Cashew Chicken with Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

Olive Oil-Poached Shrimp with Chickpeas and Feta

Chickpea and Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

inspired by Mark Bittman

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 small garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

Place all ingredients in the workbowl of a food processor. Pulse until you have a relatively smooth paste (I don't mind if it's a little chunky). Taste and season with more lemon juice and salt, if needed. Scrape down the sides of workbowl and pulse briefly to combine.

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Figs stuffed with goat cheese

Figs and goat cheese are perfect partners

Mark Bittman, the New York Times Minimalist, lured me in once again with this story about grilled figs. I’m never one to turn down the promise of a simple ripe fig, especially when stuffed with cheese, so I snatched up a precious six-pack of organic California Missions at Whole Foods yesterday to try it out.

If you watch the accompanying video on the NYT website, you’ll see Mr. Bittman standing in the middle of a vineyard in Sonoma while chef Gary Danko prepares his stuffed figs with nothing more than his fingers and a hot grill, conveniently using a freshly plucked grape leaf as a wrapper.

As it happened, there weren’t any fresh grape leaves to be found in my backyard, so I improvised with hydrangea leaves. Did you know they are totally edible? And no, I am not the heir to Euell Gibbons; I picked up that tidbit from Ina Garten – she once decorated a platter of fruit and cheese with her hefty Hampton-sized hydrangea leaves on her TV show. *UPDATE: I feel I should add that even if you feel goofy enough to start seasoning your figs with hydrangea buds or flowers, don't. They are both poisonous!

Also, since I didn’t want to fire up the grill for a few little figs, I put them under the broiler instead. That worked out just fine and I loved the result: warm fig and slightly oozing, tangy goat cheese balanced with a few drops of salty-sweet soy sauce and balsamic vinegar.

Ivonne, the creator of a very delicious blog, Cream Puffs in Venice, is hosting the Sugar High Friday event for food bloggers this month, featuring figs. This is my contribution, and although it’s not really a “sweet” thing, I couldn't resist making and sharing this.

Warm Figs Stuffed with Goat Cheese
adapted from Mark Bittman
makes 6 servings

6 fresh figs
2 tablespoons fresh soft goat cheese
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme, rosemary or other fresh herb
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 large hydrangea leaves or 6 6-inch square pieces of foil
6 toothpicks
Soy sauce and balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

With a paring knife, gently slice through the stem of each fig and make 3 1/4-inch slits. Pull the cut sides apart, forming a small pocket.

Sprinkle a tiny amount of herbs, salt and pepper into each pocket, followed by a pinch of goat cheese. Wrap figs in leaves, securing with toothpicks, or enclose loosely with foil.

Arrange fig parcels on a small cookie sheet and place under a hot broiler for about 2 minutes, or until leaves start to brown and cheese softens.

Unwrap figs and drizzle very sparingly with a one or two drops soy sauce and vinegar. Serve warm.

More FamilyStyle Figgy Business

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