This Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus with Sumac and Crispy Black Lentils is a unique take on a classic hummus. The sumac adds a bit of zing to the overall flavor and black lentils provide a welcoming crunch.
My friends and I ate a whole lot of hummus growing up in southern California. It’s not that all my friends grew up in healthy households, we just ate that way on our own. There were many health food stores very close to all our hangouts with prepared easy to grab foods, which made it convenient. It was very common for us to be holding onto a vegetable hummus wrap while rollerskating down the boardwalk. I ate hummus so much that I couldn’t eat it for many years after, until I discovered different flavors like this one.
I personally love this hummus with a crisp Albarino but it is also great with a Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdejo or White Rioja.
Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus with Sumac and Crispy Black Lentils - CaliZona
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup Dried Garbanzo Beans - 1 1/2 Cups Cooked
- 1 Large Red Bell Pepper - roasted
- 1/2 Cup Roasted Tahini
- 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Sumac
- 1 Teaspoon Hot Paprika can sub for regular paprika
- 2 1/2 Teaspoons Sea Salt
Crispy Black Lentils
- 1/2 Cup Dried Black Lentils
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sumac
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garnish
- Drizzle with olive oil
- Crispy Black Lentils - optional
- Generous sprinkle of Sumac.
Instructions
Preparing garbanzo beans
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You can cook the garbanzo beans in two different ways: one is a quick way, the other is by soaking the beans overnight which is better for your digestion. This is how I prepare them plus if you are going to make falafels this is the way to go.
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Place them in a large bowl and cover with filtered water. They will expand to over double their size, so make sure you cover by several inches of water to allow for expansion.
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Soak overnight for at least 12 hours then drain.
Quick method
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Place the beans in a medium-sized pot and cover with at least 2 inches of water above the beans.
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Bring to a boil for 5 minutes.
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Remove from the heat and let the beans soak in the warm water for 1 hour.
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Drain the water and rinse.
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Cooking the beans
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Covers the chickpeas by about 2 inches of water.
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Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer on medium-low heat for about 20 - 45 minutes, depending on the type and freshness, it can take longer.
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Skim off the foam and skins that float to the surface.
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They should be very fairly tender pressing between your fingers but not too mushy.
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The beans will be soft and slightly firm, drain and let cool.
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If you want extra smooth hummus you can do as Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi do from their cookbook "Jerusalem" and remove the skins from the garbanzo beans. Press them between your fingers to remove the skins.
Crispy Black Lentils
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Measure the lentils and sort for any rocks then rinse.
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Add water to the lentils, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
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Cook for about 15 – 20 minutes or until lentils are soft, yet still firm.
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Strain completely.
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Preheat oven to 400°F
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a bowl toss together the lentils, oil, curry powder and salt.
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Spread out evenly on the parchment lined baking sheet.
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Roast lentils for 25 – 30 minutes, stir in between.
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Roast until crunchy. Watch them closely at the end so they don’t burn.
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Let cool.
Roasted Peppers
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Roast the pepper on the stove-top on medium-high heat. A gas stove works the best but it will work fine on an electric stove.
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Char the peppers on all sides turning with a pair of tongs.
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When good and charred, steam them for 10 minutes in a covered dish or a paper bag rolled shut to hold in the steam.
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Take a paper towel and rub off the char. It’s ok to leave a little of the char.
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Slice in half and remove the seeds and stems.
Hummus
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When the garbanzo beans are cooked and cool, measure everything and put in a food processor or blender and puree until the desired texture.
Health Benefits:
Garbanzo beans are super high in protein and extremely high in fiber, just one cup provides 50% of the Daily Value. Because of the fiber, they are great for your heart, lowering blood cholesterol levels and the risk of heart attack, as well as help, prevent constipation and digestive disorders. Just one cup provides 84.5% of the daily value of manganese, which is an antioxidant that acts as a monitor of the free radicals in the body. If you are low in energy the high iron content will help and will transport oxygen from the lungs to all the cells in the body. They also help to balance blood sugar levels while providing steady, slow-burning energy. Garbanzo beans are helpful for weight loss as they keep you full longer.
Red Bell Peppers are matured green bell peppers and have more nutrition as they mature. They are super high in vitamin A which helps to support healthy eyesight, especially night vision and are extremely high in vitamin C, so much so they have twice as much as an orange which makes it really good for the skin. Red peppers are one of the highest veggies in lycopene and have been successfully tested in the prevention of many cancers. They have a good source of the antioxidant mineral manganese and B-complex and vitamin E. They help reduce ‘bad’ cholesterol, helps control diabetes and helps reduce pain. They are also a good source of fiber, folate, vitamin K, molybdenum and manganese.
