Hummus With Zucchini

Hummus which is a typical and a very popular Middle Eastern dip is used as an appetizer and served with pita bread. Itis considered to be one of the main 'mezze's' appetizer's of a Turkish dinner table and loved a lot. Hummus is a healthy, delicious dip and super easy to make.

Hummus in Arabic means chick peas and this Middle Eastern dip is traditionally made with chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. The consistency of Hummus depends how you like it either smooth or chunky. You just adjust it to your own taste. But a surprise here! The recipe I am going to share with you is made with zucchinis and you'll never feel the difference.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 zucchinis, chopped
• 1,5 cup pinto beans, boiled, rinsed and drained
• juice of 1-2 lemon
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

How To:

Boil pinto beans in hot water until soft if using fresh ones, and drain. If canned rinse and drain.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the minced garlic, fry, then add zucchini.

Cook and stir until zucchini softens. Place zucchini, pinto beans, lemon juice, tahini, ground cumin, paprika, and salt in a food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. Use olive oil to thicken the hummus and water to soften it. Transfer the hummus into a serving dish.

Garnish with caramelized onions. Cover the surface with stretch film and let it rest for at least 2 hours. If not using straight away, refrigerate until needed. Serve at room temperature.

Caramelized Onions:

Peel the onions. Cut the onion in half from top to bottom. Lay them cut side down. Slice the onion into half-ringsmake.  The thickness of the slices is not important. Use a wide, thick-bottomed sauté pan. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil, or a mixture of olive oil and butter (about 1 teaspoon per onion).

Heat the pan on medium high heat until the oil is shiny. Add the onion slices and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes, sprinkle some salt, black pepper and sugar over the onions to help with the caramelization process.

Cook for 40 minutes to an hour more, stirring every few minutes. As soon as the onions start sticking to the pan, let them stick a little and brown, but then stir them before they burn. Continue to cook and scrape, cook and scrape, until the onions are a rich, browned color. Add a little balsamic vinegar, water, broth or wine to help deglaze the pan and stir vigorously. Keep refrigerated.

 Enjoy!

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