Spicy Hummus

Hummus is a puree/paste from the Middle East made mostly from chickpeas and tahini paste. Tahini paste is a bit like peanut butter however it’s made form sesame seeds not peanuts. If you cannot get a hold of tahini a peanut butter is good replacement. Hummus is yummy in sandwiches or served with crudités (raw vegetable sticks) or with crackers and biscuits even in a tortilla wrap with couscous and rocket for a healthy lunch. This recipe is for a spicy one you can leave out the chilli if you don’t like heat maybe replace it with a roasted red pepper skinned, peeled and chopped up.

 

  Makes a smallish bowl
  Ingredients:

•   400g of tin of chickpeas
•   1-2 dried chillies or a pinch of dried chilli flakes
•   1 teaspoon of tahini
•   3 tablespoon of olive oil
•   1 garlic clove ½ the juice of a lemon

  Method: 

1.   Place all the ingredients in a food processor and whizz .
2.   Stop when the mix looks like a paste if it looks a little thick add a drop a cold of water.
3.   Check for seasoning and your done this will keep for about 2 days in the fridge.

Homemade store cupboard

I love home made store ingredients that are cheap to make and can turn any boring dinner into something yummy
So here's one to get you started.

Chilli and garlic oil

Ingredients:
200 mls of oil. Preferably groundnut or sunflower
1 heaped tablespoon of hot chilli power
2-3 crushed cloves of garlic

Method:

Heat oil on a medium heat until hot
Turn off heat
Add chilli and garlic
Leave to cool
Strain through a fine sieve 3 times until the oil looks clear
Pour the oil into a clean glass bottle.
I use empty ketchup bottles that have been washed in the dish washer
Keep in a cool cupboard.

Uses:
Add to marinades for a spicy kick
Use in dipping sauces for spring rolls or prawns
Simply use as a condiment for Asian food if you like a hot kick like me.