ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS

We go through a lot of hummus in the Food of Love kitchen. I use it as a spread on my sandwiches and both DSO and I enjoy it with vegetables or crackers or toasted pita as an afternoon pick-me-up. While I find the Sabra brand to be tasty, it's quite expensive at $4.00+ for a very small container and it's so easy to make, I don't remember why I started buying it. That said, after reading about Erica's red pepper hummus over at My Columbian Recipes, I knew it was time to break out the tahini. While I used my old "Start the Party" Hummus recipe from Diana Abu-Jaber's The Language of Baklava as a springboard, I did take a hint from Erica and add some cumin to my mix.

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained
2 tbs olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup tahini
4 piquillo peppers
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
salt to taste

Puree all ingredients to a thick, creamy consistency. You can adjust the consistency by adding small amounts of water. Serve with a streak of olive oil on top along with a basket of warm or toasted pita bread.
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TASTE NOTES
It makes absolutely no sense to buy hummus when you can make it so quickly and so economically. With the money you save, buy a wonderful bottle of wine to enjoy along with it.