Basil Hummus... Summer in a Single Bite

Basil is bountiful. It's peeping out of pots at the farmer's market. It's smartly positioned next to the tomatoes at the local grocery store, inviting purchase with its sweet, pungent smell. It's growing leafy and tall on those forgotten windowsill troughs that were planted a few months ago.... 

It's one of summer's wonders.

I'd venture to say that basil is summer. 

In this freshly flavored hummus, summer is all whipped up in a single bite.

You'll see a lot of recipes that include basil over the next couple of weeks. I already posted tomato-basil sauce, and I have a few other basil dishes on the table that I'll share here.

I have to say that this basil hummus is my favorite hummus recipe yet. I wanted to make a hummus to eat in pitas for lunch this week, and as I looked into my fridge I noticed that I still had cups and cups of freshly torn basil leaves all wrapped up in bundles of dish towels. There would be no wasting even a single basil leaf, yet I'd never seen a basil hummus before. I decided to make it anyway.

My food processor went to work. As I poured olive oil into the top, the ingredients were transformed into a smooth blend of nutty chickpeas and earthy tahini balanced with tangy basil and tart lemon. A couple dashes of salt made for a perfectly deeply savory and yet brightly fragrant combination.

I haven't stopped eating it since I made it. It's versatile, healthy, and all around delicious. On pita, with chips, crackers, on my sandwich...

The faster that I eat it the sooner I can make more,

And the more that I make the longer that summer lingers on.

Basil Hummus:

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic

1 cup basil

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 t. fresh Tahini paste (toasted sesame seeds blended with olive oil)

1/2 freshly squeezed lemon, or more if desired

Olive oil to desired consistency

Salt to taste

dash of pepper

Blend all the ingredients in the food processor until smooth, adding olive oil through the top of the processor until desired consistency has been reached. Taste and adjust lemon and salt as needed.