A Marvelous And Crowd Pleasing Smoky Black Eyed Pea Hummus Dip
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A Marvelous And Crowd Pleasing Smoky Black Eyed Pea Hummus Dip is a healthy tailgate snack for your next game day celebration!
Black eyed peas have an earthy, almost nutty flavor when cooked. Because they’re intensely flavorful, they do well with bold flavors as compliments. In this black eyed pea hummus method, the cooked peas (which are really a bean) are first deeply flavored with smoked paprika and a dash of cayenne. They’re then brightened by the addition of garlic, fresh lemon juice, tahini, and a swathe of seriously good quality olive oil. Finishing the hummus off with freshly zested lemon adds a pop of color and a unique flavor profile that lands somewhere between smoke and citrus on the ‘OMG Meter!’
This staple of southern cooking is easily transformed into a healthy tailgate snack for your next game day celebration.
Black eyed peas are to the American South what lobster is to New England. This highly nutritious little bean is a symbol of good luck on New Year’s, due to its use as a celebratory food on the anniversary of Emancipation. Yes, the black eyed pea has quite a deep southern history. It has been a staple for generations in African American soul food, and is thought to have been introduced to the colonies via the African slave trade.
My first taste of black eyed peas was a dish of Hoppin’ John at a New Year’s Day Brunch a decade ago. Had it not been for them being prepared so well that day for the Brunch, I may never have purchased them for the first time to make at home. I am always surprised at how easy it is to make the healthy stuff taste great so that it fits in with your weekly repertoire.
As a result, black-eyed peas are now a side I eat a few times a week. I love them to bits. A Marvelous And Crowd Pleasing Smoky Black Eyed Pea Hummus Dip is deeply flavored with smoked paprika and a dash of cayenne. It’s then brightened by the addition of garlic, fresh lemon juice, and a seriously good quality olive oil.
Black eyed peas are to the American South what lobster is to New England.
The pea hummus recipe I am sharing today can be made two ways. The difference? Cooking the peas in your home kitchen is option number one. Option number two is simply purchasing a couple of cans of unseasoned peas. Both methods get you to where you need to be for the remainder of the recipe.
If you plan to make this black eyed pea hummus for a crowd, you may want to bust out your slow cooker and cook up a large batch of peas using option number one. This is the route I now go because I eat so much of this spread. If trying for the first time, perhaps play it safe and stick with the canned peas until you know if this bowls you over as it does nearly everyone else who tastes it.
Now, a little fun for those who have tasted this dip. If you want to go about kicking things up a notch, this is purely optional. The black truffle. I was offered a free single black truffle. I wanted to get the biggest results from this little priceless golden nugget of the foodie world.
Using a micro blade, I shaved the truffle. I then used a mortar and pestle to mash it. I incorporated the equivalent of 1/2 teaspoon of the mash into this recipe as it’s presented herein. What remained I used in other recipes to include a truffle olive oil. The results were INCREDIBLE if you like truffle.
I would say that purchasing a truffle for this recipe is mildly outlandish. If you are able to purchase genuine truffle oil at a reputable grocer, go that route. Again, this is purely optional. Flavored or infused oil, used in conjunction with regular olive oil, is a finishing flavor. It’s intense enough to satisfy my fondness for them. If you however have access to fresh or dried truffle, don’t mind dropping the cash, and want to experience them in this otherwise frugal hummus method, by all means have at it. Do know that a very little goes a very long way.
Additionally, I have provided a few flavored olive oil options below. I’ve also added a basil olive oil which I also like very much in this dip.
To ‘Tahini’ Or Not To Tahini? That Is The Question!
You can prepare black eyed pea hummus without tahini. If you are just not a fan, omit or substitute a creamy, all natural peanut butter in lieu. Black eyed pea hummus with peanut butter is shockingly fantastic. For my purposes, “I tahini” every time I make this.
Tahini adds a richness that peanut butter cannot match for my palette. I also feel as though using tahini lends a much silkier end product. It’s easier to dip into without your chips breaking.
Do You Have The Ingredients For A Marvelous And Crowd Pleasing Smoky Black Eyed Pea Hummus Dip? Check the list!
extra virgin olive oil
black-eyed peas, either dried or canned prepared
fresh garlic cloves
fresh lemon juice and lemon zest
tahini
smoked paprika
cayenne pepper
kosher salt
pita chips or toasted whole pita bread, toasted baguette rounds, or crudités for serving
All images and text ©Jenny DeRemer for Not Entirely Average, LLC
A Marvelous And Crowd Pleasing Smoky Black Eyed Pea Hummus Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large cloves garlic
- 2 16 ounce cans black eye peas drained and rinsed
- 8 tablespoons olive oil divided; I am using Thea Greek olive oil exclusively
- 3 to 5 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice fresh
- lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika additional to taste and garnish
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper additional to taste
- pita chips, toasted baguette rounds, or crudités for serving
optional
- drizzle of a strong flavored olive oil such as basil or truffle
Instructions
- Roughly chop the garlic cloves. To a small bowl, add 2tablespoons of the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the chopped garlic. Set aside.
- Reserve ¼ cup of the drained and rinsed black eyed peas andset aside.
- To a food processor, add the remaining black-eyes peas (see**notes if cooking peas from a dried state), the remaining 6 tablespoons ofolive oil, tahini, fresh lemon juice, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and thecayenne pepper. Process until very smooth.
- Spoon into a pretty serving bowl. Use the back side of ateaspoon to create a swirly well on the surface of the hummus. Drizzle with thereserved garlic-infused olive oil and dust with additional smoked paprika. Scatterreserved peas and the zest of 1 lemon atop.
- Serve with pita chips, lightly toasted baguette rounds, orcrudites.
Notes
Nutrition
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