// Zucchini Hummus Recipe brought to you by Pompeian Olive Oil //
A few months ago, I had the exciting opportunity to travel to Israel to go on a food tour of that amazing country. Our first full day there, we were on a quest to find the best hummus in the country. Now hummus in Israel is a BIG deal! Here in America when we get hungry we head out to some fast food joint and grab a burger to eat on the go. In Israel, they have little hummus huts and that’s where everyone goes when they want to grab a quick bite to eat. Our quest took us to Jaffa…
… Just outside of Tel Aviv. Here is where the famous Abu Hasan Hummus hut is located, hidden within the winding streets of this ancient city.
Abu Hassan is famous for one thing… Hummus! That’s about all they make and they make it well. Everyday people line up outside this little hole in the wall shop to get their hummus and when the hummus pot is empty, the shop closes for the day, so you have to get there early!
Abu Hasan’s hummus is unlike any hummus I have ever tried in the US. It’s rich and creamy with a flavor that just grabs you and then haunts you forever. They top the hummus with chickpeas, garlic, paprika, parsley and then they float a full flavored olive oil on top. It’s truly an amazing culinary experience.
When I returned home, all I could think about was that hummus. What I would give for one more taste of that magical creation. I TRIED to recreate it with a few tricks that I learned while in Israel and it was good, but not Abu Hasan good. So, I kind of gave up my quest until the other day.
This last week I spent some good quality time with Aimée and Bettijo from Paging Supermom, while we were attending SNAP, the creative blog conference. While we were sitting at Café Rio in the Salt Lake City Airport, Aimée mentioned one of her favorite recipes and it kind of blew my mind… Zucchini Hummus! Yea, that’s what I said… Zucchini Hummus, for real?
I have heard of making hummus out of white beans instead of chickpeas, but I have never heard of making it with zucchini! I was intrigued and had to give this new idea a go. I did a little research and then put into practice the hummus tricks I learned in Tel Aviv at the Dan Gourmet School of Culinary Arts and came up with my recipe for Zucchini Hummus.
Now, one of the keys to this tasty and good for you treat is the olive oil. For this application, you need a good, full flavored olive oil that is fruity and can hold up to the bold flavors from the garlic and cumin. I used a fabulous full flavored olive oil from Pompeian’s Varietals collection. The magic of the premium Varietals collections is that each type of oil is pressed from one single type of olive. I used the Koroneiki oil which is from the first cold press of the Koroneiki olive.
It’s bold and fruity with a peppery finish that is just perfect for my zucchini hummus. I used it in the hummus as well as floating some on top as a flavor booster as well as a garnish.
I was BLOWN AWAY when I tasted it for the first time. It truly took me back to Israel. It’s not Abu Hasan, but to me it’s a fresher, even healthier way to savor the flavors of one of my favorite place. Here is how you make it…
- 1 cup Tahini
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon citric acid
- 2 tablespoons of garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon of Pompeian Varietials Koroneiki Olive Oil
- Peel and chop your zucchini and add to the bowl of your food processor.
- Juice your lemon and add half of the lemon juice to start to the zucchini.
- Add the tahini, citric acid, garlic paste, cumin, sea salt and pepper and blend slowly adding the olive oil while blending.
- Taste the hummus and see if the seasoning needs some adjustment. You may need to add a little more of the reserved lemon juice or possibly salt. You can tweak it to your taste.
- Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Serve with veggies and pita chips or use as an addition to salads or sandwiches.
Disclaimer // This post is sponsored by Pompeian, I received product and payment for this post.
