Garlic Confit & Spicy Sweet Peppadew Hummus
I'm kind of picky when it comes to hummus. Not really in a food snob kind of way, but in a sometimes-it-just-doesn't-taste-quite-right-and-I-can't-put-my-finger-on-it kind of way. I like the idea of hummus, so it's always disappointing when I don't like it. With a plethora of dragon's tongue beans and sugar snap peas from yesterday's farmers market trip, I figured some sort of dip was in order and decided to try my hand at a homemade hummus. Red pepper and garlic varieties are usually my faves so I went for a variation including each, a garlic confit and spicy sweet peppadew hummus.
Confit is another one of those intimidating words that might make you stray away from a recipe, but again, it's just a fancy way of saying that something has been cooked in oil (or sugar water). So believe me when I say, this is beyond simple and the end result is deliciously dippable.
Garlic Confit & Spicy Sweet Peppadew Hummus
Makes: ~3 cups
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
8 small-medium garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 c. olive oil
1 25-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. water
6 peppadew peppers (these can be found on most grocery store olive bars, but my favorite are the jarred ones from Trader Joe's--see pic below)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2-3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch coarse salt
Method:
1. In a small pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add in garlic cloves. Bring to a rapid simmer briefly and then lower heat so oil is just barely simmering. Leave garlic cloves, breaking them down as they soften, until they turn a golden brown. This will take about 30 minutes if your heat is low and slow enough. Once they've reached this point, turn off heat and let sit to cool to room temperature while you prepare other ingredients.
2. Coarsely chop four of the peppadew peppers (save two for topping the hummus later) and add to the food processor, along with the water and rest of the ingredients. Process on high for a few minutes until relatively smooth.
3. Once the garlic oil has cooled, remove garlic pieces (which will look almost like bacon) and place in food processor. Pour garlic-infused oil into oil spout on food processor (this is the little tube-shaped attachment that has a tiny hole in the bottom). Run food processor on high again as the oil drains into the hummus and the mixture is creamy and smooth. Add more water and/or oil if the mixture is not smooth enough for your tastes.
4. Pour hummus into resealable container. Finely chop reserved peppadew peppers and place on top of hummus. Take a picture of the pretty presentation and then dip away!
