52 Weeks of Hummus //Healthy //Herbs //Potager //Recipes
Honey Thyme Pumpkin Hummus
January 11
3 min read
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A Cool Night Delight
Roasted winter squash is such a special treat on a chilly, rainy night. Inspired by a favorite soup, we roasted a small pumpkin over fresh thyme and rosemary, added a dash of cinnamon for extra warmth, and drizzled with honey for a delightful bite. This pumpkin hummus is wonderful served as a main dinner course with plenty of roasted pumpkin or as a side dish with crunchy fresh bread.
The Modern Potager Kitchen Garden
The joy of the modern potager is getting to expand your culinary skills and make restaurant-quality meals at home. Picking fresh ingredients from the garden and turning them into something that awakens your tastebuds and thrills is really what life is all about.
It should come as no surprise that I have a high appreciation of historical foods as an heirloom gardener. One of the oldest and most historically relevant dishes in human history is hummus.
And I could eat hummus morning, noon, and night. On its own with fresh flatbreads, alongside eggs, or loaded with roasted veggies. It’s this love of hummus that led Matthew to adamantly state, “You cannot survive on hummus and cucumbers alone.” As we shared a plate of one of my favorite variations, roasted red pepper hummus, with radishes, cucumbers, and herbs from the showcase garden, the challenge of his statement kept dancing in my mind.
While it made me laugh in the moment, the notion that I could not survive off such a healthy dietary staple sent me down a path of cultural exploration and adventures in the kitchen for weeks on end. I wanted to understand the lore surrounding hummus and its impact upon the world. And truth be told, I wanted to discover if one could survive on hummus without getting bored.
In short, I’ve accepted the challenge to explore all that hummus has to offer in both traditional and new ways with the help of some fantastic local chefs, food bloggers, and a little creativity. Together, we’ll make a year’s worth of delicious hummus variations—52 recipes that feature the best of seasonal produce and pantry essentials.
We’ll test various cooking techniques, discussing the pros and cons of each method to achieve multiple results. While some chefs swear by using dried chickpeas and removing the skins, today’s high-powered blenders make quick work of tinned beans with their skins intact.
THE HISTORY OF HUMMUS
The earliest known origins of hummus date back to the 13th century, with several cultures claiming the creation of the savory dip. Yotam Ottolenghi, chef and cookbook author, writes about the hummus wars in his book “Jerusalem: A Cookbook.” But Israel isn’t the only country where people argue over the best hummus recipe. Palestinians, Egyptian Arabs, Greeks, and other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries also declare hummus as their dish, each region adding its own nuances.
The essence of the classic hummus recipe are chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and salt. As cooking methods have changed over the centuries, the textural preferences and techniques used to create the creamiest dip have altered the base recipes.
PUMPKIN: AN AMERICAN STAPLE
Pumpkins are a versatile and important food worth celebrating throughout the coolest months of the year. So much more than a pie filling, pumpkin is a delightful crop that is delicious savory or served on the sweeter side.
Anthropologists believe that pumpkins originated in North America over 9000 years ago. The oldest pumpkin seeds have been found in Mexico and date back to somewhere between 7000-5550 B.C.. Native pumpkins are less recognizable than those we commonly think of today. They were harvested small and often had a bitter flavor. Pre-Columbian natives grew pumpkins for their flesh rather than seeds. Pumpkins were among the first crops grown for human consumption in North America and are an essential part of the the Three Sisters growing method mixing beans, squash, and corn in the same planting plot.
Today, there are over 45 varieties of pumpkins and squash that are grown for their style, shape, and flavor.
Honey Thyme Pumpkin Hummus
Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups of fresh hummus | 4 servings
Inspired by + Created from years of making hummus
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups hydrated garbanzo beans/chickpeas (this is approximately 1 can), drained (reserve water brine)
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin, skin removed **See below
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 roasted garlic cloves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
Pinch of sea salt
Glug of really good extra virgin olive oil
Really good local honey
Flaky sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
Roasted pumpkin slices
Sprinkle of roasted pumpkin seeds
Dusting of freshly cracked pepper
1) Preheat oven to 425F. Cut small pumpkin in half, clean out the inside and preserve the seeds. Cut pumpkin halves into slices, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Lay fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs over roasting pan, top with oiled pumpkin halves and roast for 12-14 minutes, turning halfway. Set aside to cool.
2) Lightly toss cleaned pumpkin seeds with oil, salt and pepper and roast for 7-9 minutes.
3) Drain the hydrated garbanzo beans reserving the liquid to help thin the hummus, as needed. Place in a high-powered blender with tahini, roasted garlic, lemon juice, thyme, roasted pumpkin, cinnamon, ground pepper, and a small pinch of sea salt. Blend at high speed until smooth, scraping down the sides if needed. If the mixture is not blending well, add 1-2 teaspoons of reserved bean liquid to help thin. Add one circle of olive oil (about 2 teaspoons) and blend again.
4) Place hummus in a shallow bowl or large serving platter. Garnish with roasted pumpkin slices, fresh thyme, honey, and pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle with pepper and flaky salt for extra visual appeal.
Serve the hummus with warm crusty bread or flatbread. Excellent as a savory main entree or as a side dish with pork or fish.
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