Black Bean Hummus

Following the success of the black bean soup, click here for recipe I soaked and cooked another batch of black beans, but then when it came to using them I decided to try them in hummus, using them in place of chickpeas. I mentioned this to my daughter Hedd, who suggested that I should try cooking the garlic gently in olive oil as they do in Brazil so that's exactly what I did. Another gluten free recipe dedicated to my friend Julia.

You will need:
600g of soaked and cooked black beans
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of tahini
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt.
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

Begin by cooking the garlic in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Cook over a very gentle heat in order to avoid burning them and causing the garlic to become bitter. When the garlic is a pale golden brown, lift out of the oil and place in a food processor with a tablespoon or so of the cooked beans and blend until the garlic is pureed. I made the mistake of not draining the beans sufficiently and the end result was a softer hummus than I would normally make. Add the remaining beans, tahini and seasoning and blend until smooth. Finally add most of the oil that the garlic has been cooked in, reserving a little to trickle on top when serving. Serve with crusty bread or the crackers I make for cheese click here for recipe .

Hedd knitted this little picture of Poppy and the white yarn is actually Poppy fur which I spun.

Notes; I believe a hummus type dip or spread can be made from pretty much any pulse, It's good however to find a way of bringing different flavours to each without masking the flavour of the original bean. Having allowed this hummus to end up wetter and softer than I would like, I avoided using any extra liquid but I think I would try adding orange the next time I make this. Green hummus using broad beans and peas works particularly well and benefits from adding fresh mint leaves.