This recipe was part of the OTGF’s Urban Farm-a-licious Event, a collaboration between On the Ground Floor and Tested Tried and True.
People are as picky about their hummus as they are about their BBQ, mac and cheese, and scrambled eggs! We’ve all had bad hummus, especially grocery store hummus. It’s actually pretty easy to make and if you want to make it extra special, make this dip and the person consuming it will fall in love with you. I mean it!
So try this brilliant twist to your usual layered dip with a greek flavor profile. Not only does it have the homemade hummus I’ve already spoken of, but add homemade cilantro pesto to this delight as well. Top with red onions, banana peppers, cucumbers, kalamata olives, and feta cheese and it will become a staple at every party you throw.
I always get lots of compliments on this dish and it can be adapted to meet your personal tastes. For the event we plated them in the cute rectangular cups pictured above, but all you need to serve this at your party is a 12 inch decorative plate. Please note that for the event I even made the chickpeas from an organic farm, but save yourself the time…use chickpeas in a can!
You can thank me for this one later.
- 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
- 6 tbsp. tahini, stirred well
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press
- ½ tsp. table salt
- ¼ tsp. ground cumin
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1½ cups fresh cilantro
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
- 2 tbsp. pecans
- 2 tbsp. pine nuts
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Cucumber, seeded and diced
- Red onion, diced
- Chopped banana peppers
- Sliced Kalamata olives
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Pita Chips
- Carrots
- Jicama
- Combine lemon juice and water in a small bowl or measuring cup.
- Whisk together tahini and 2 tablespoons oil in second small bowl or measuring cup.
- After draining and rinsing chickpeas, add the chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds.
- Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula With machine running, add lemon juice-water mixture in steady stream through food tube.
- Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute.
- With machine running, add oil-tahini mixture in steady stream through food tube and continue to process until the hummus has reached your desired texture, scraping down bowl as needed.
- Combine the cilantro, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, pecans, and pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse repeatedly until a coarse paste forms.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the processor running, add the remaining olive oil in a steady stream and process until smooth.
- Transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan.
- Spread a layer of hummus on a serving platter.
- Spread the cilantro pesto over the top of the hummus.
- Layer evenly with cucumber, red onion, banana peppers, olives, and feta as desired.
- Serve with pita chips, carrots, and/or jicama
- Drizzle with a thin film of olive oil, cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pesto, and store in an airtight container.
