Olive Rosemary Hummus

Name: Olive Rosemary Hummus
Prep time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 can of chickpeas*; 2 heaping tablespoons of tahini; 1/3 cup chopped black olives plus a few for garnish; 1/3 cup chopped green olives plus a few for garnish; 1/4 cup olive oil (I used rosemary-infused olive oil plus more for drizzling); 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt (start with 1/2 teaspoon and then if it's not enough for your taste, sprinkle in a bit at a time); 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

by Lora Wiley-Lennartz April 10, 2013

written by Lora Wiley-Lennartz April 10, 2013

Most people have pantry staples that are standbys for a “just in case” situation. Cans of chickpeas and a jar of tahini are all permanent residents of mine. One of my favorite appetizer-making pastimes is playing with hummus flavors. You’ve seen some of that here before on this blog. I don’t often post savory dishes, but when I do, it’s because the result was so good I had to share. Like this Olive Rosemary Hummus.

Last Sunday, I had back-to-back meetings all day for various organizations I volunteer for in Pennsylvania. The last gathering of the day I was hosting at my house, and I had only arrived late the evening before. The next morning, with little time to prepare refreshments, I had no choice but to perform one of my favorite kitchen songs, Hummus Time, sung to the tune of Hammer Time.

Catchy, no? One day, I will print the lyrics here. Unfortunately, I wasn’t wearing the pants. That would have really rocked, and I could have posted a video. Next time. But you are not here for a song and dance. You are here for this Olive Rosemary Hummus..

Hummus is so versatile!

The great part about having the chickpeas and tahini on hand is adding whatever else you might have hanging around- spices, herbs, citrus, condiments, veggies, anything, or any combination that strikes your fancy to give it a twist. Whip it all up together, and you have an instant, very easy-to-prepare, and most times, impressive appetizer. Enter Olive Rosemary Hummus.

Leftover both black and green olives were eyeballing me back from the fridge, so I threw them in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients and added fresh chopped rosemary and homemade rosemary olive oil (my herb garden was outta control last year and the result is tons of homemade oils, sugars, syrups, and salts.) The result was perfect.

I made a double batch and brought the rest to work on Monday, to a thumbs-up all around.

Olive Rosemary Hummus

Course Appetizer

Cuisine appetizer, easy appetizers, hummus, olive appetizer, olive hummus

Prep Time 20 minutes

Servings 6

Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas*
2 heaping tablespoons of tahini
1/3 cup chopped black olives plus a few for garnish
1/3 cup chopped green olives plus a few for garnish
1/4 cup olive oil I used rosemary-infused olive oil plus more for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt start with 1/2 teaspoon and then if it's not enough for your taste, sprinkle in a bit at a time
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions

Place all the ingredients and about half of the oil in a food processor and blend.
Drizzle in the rest of the oil while blending. You can use more oil if you like the hummus really smooth. I like mine somewhat chunky.
When hummus is smooth, pulse on the chopped rosemary.
Transfer to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with olives.
Serve with crackers or pita bread.

Recipe Notes

*The hummus will be a bit smoother if you rub off and separate the transparent shells from the chickpeas. But if you are in a hurry or don't have the patience, the result is still delicious.