With the heat wave that we have had over the past week I have been resurfacing meal items that do not require me to turn on the oven and have limited interaction with the range, both of which heat up the kitchen and since our home has an open floor plan and no air conditioning — the entire first floor. Compounding my little kitchen strike was the need to prepare a meal for a friend and her family this past Sunday (a day in the high 80’s — a bit high for a northern New England state.)
The menu that I settled on was:
- cheese, olives, unsalted roasted nuts and flat-bread for appetizers
- wheatberry salad, pasta salad (with quinoa pasta), green salad and hummus with pitas for the dinner offering
- fresh fruits and fig and date bars for desert
All of the items appeared to be a hit, but the most popular offering appeared to be the rosemary hummus, so I thought I would share the easy to make recipe with you.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans drained (I prefer freshly cooked dried bean, but canned ones will work)
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup of bean cooking water (reserved)
- Juice of 1 fresh lemon
- 6 tsp rosemary infused extra virgin olive oil (see the bottom of this post for how to infuse the oil)
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- pinch of salt (if using canned beans omit this item)
Directions
- Add cooked garbanzo beans to a food processor together with the lemon, juice, crushed garlic, salt and 4 tablespoons of oil.
- Blend until smooth, adding the reserved cooking water, a little at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Leave the mixture to stand for an hour or so to let the flavors develop.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the oil on top of the hummus just prior to serving.
- Serve with pita wedges and fresh vegetables and/or fruit.
Rosemary infused olive oil: 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, 1 tablespoon chopped garlic. Mix all ingredients into an airtight jar and store in a cool dark place for 2-3 weeks prior to use.
Rainbow Arts 