Monday, October 17, 2011

Smoky Chipotle Hummus

I am in one of those unprepared mode...not mood, but I suppose that would also label it as such! I have not been photographing anything I have made since last week. The only thing that inspired me to actually photograph, is just one shot of the Chipotle Hummus that so inspired me by Alisha's hummus that she made!
@ The Ardent Epicure.

She made this most amazing Cilantro Hummus with Chipotle Oil Drizzle... that I could just not resist! She has such an amazing vegetarian blog, with all the gorgeous exotic fruits, and vegetables and legumes she uses to prepare delicious and healthy dishes, and appetizers.

I did not have fresh cilantro on hand, but I did have dry cilantro, which was not my first choice, but it did the trick, and it was actually a vibrant green color, because I keep my dry herbs in my freezer, and they last a long time, and stay fresh and that makes my foods taste a lot better.

So as you see, this is the beautiful dry chipotle peppers that I used. They were purchased at my local produce market, and, the price is very inexpensive. All you have to do is to put them into boiling water, and simmer them on med. low temperature, until they get soft, so you can put them in the food processor. Use some of the liquid from the water as well to make your sauce the proper consistency.



The recipe I used is something I found online, that I adapted from was on> All Recipes.com
 
Linking my Smoky Chipotle Hummus, to: Full Plate Thursday, 10-20-11
@ Miz Helen's Country Cottage!

The change I made in the Smoky Chipotle Hummus recipe, was that instead of canned chipotle, I used the homemade sauce to combine it with the recipe. I also omitted the canned roasted tomatoes, and the sundried tomatoes, as well.I didn't have fresh cilantro, so I had to use 1 teaspoon dry cilantro. Extra virgin olive oil was drizzle on the top, making a well around the center, to hold the oil, for easier scooping, and dipping. Serve with toasted pita wedges. Quite a change from the ordinary plain hummus!

Here's a helpful hint, how to dry fresh cilantro, a question asked by Laurie @ how my time flys.
As a rule, I freeze my dry herbs, and spices. They have a much longer life in the freezer, and every time I use them, they are always fresh, and potent, and not lose their aroma and strength. Even if you don't want to freeze them, at least refrigerate them, and you will get the same results. The only two seasonings that I don't freeze or refrigerate is the salt and pepper, which is always kept at room temperature!


How to dry fresh Cilantro

Cilantro
Cilantro, which originated in Greece, has been grown as an herb for thousands of years. Today, this annual is used in cuisine in countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Americas. "Cilantro" is generally used to refer to the leaves of this plant. The seeds of the plant are usually called "coriander."

Growing Cilantro
You can buy cilantro as small plants from your local nursery and transplant them into the ground or into containers. These plants like the weather to be cool and sunny. Therefore, plant them where they can catch their rays during the morning and afternoon hours. Like us, these plants shouldn't be exposed to the sun during the mid-day hours.
If you want to plant your cilantro from seeds, you will need to do some groundwork before the seeds hit the soil. First, you have to crush each seed's husk a little. Then, the seeds should be soaked for one to two days before you plant them.
Plant seeds every six weeks or so during the growing season as cilantro is not a long lived plant.

How to Dry Fresh Cilantro: Leaves
Yes, you can buy dried cilantro at the store. Have you ever tried it? Dried cilantro has lost most of the attributes that makes cilantro "cilantro." While home dried leaves might be an improvement, these dried leaves will still leave much to be desired.
Your best bet is to wash the cilantro and remove most of the stems. Pat them dry with a towel and freeze individually on a cookie sheet. After the leaves are frozen, put them in freezer bags and place them back in your freezer until you need them.

How to Dry Fresh Cilantro: Coriander
When the seeds on the flower heads of your cilantro plant are starting to turn from green to brown, snip off the flower heads. Put the flower heads in brown paper bags and close the bags. Let the plant dry until the seeds fall off the heads easily.

Have a wonderful week...I will have more to offer in my next post!



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40 comments:

Amelia's De-ssert said...

Elisabeth, beautiful photo and the color of the hummus looks so nice. Delicious too, yummy.

laurie said...

this sounds delicous, do you dry your own cilantro?

Brooks at Cakewalker said...

Elisabeth, You have a terrific hummus here and I can only imagine what the chipotle does to this dish! I know for certain my son will love it so it will be made in our kitchen soon. Thank you for sharing it!

Angie's Recipes said...

wow Eli, that's a stunning hummus! Love chipotle..that adds beautiful colour and rich flavour to the dip.

Priya said...

Omg, need some chips to enjoy this inviting hummus..

Dzoli said...

This loks amazingly yummy.I wish I could dip in that:

Jacqueline said...

That looks fabulous. I do love hummus :)

easyfoodsmith said...

The hummus sounds delicious!

Rosemary said...

It does look very good. I have never had any luck with dry cilantro . . . so, keeping it in the freezer is the answer! Thanks! (Mine just looks and tastes like dead grass!)

claudia @Whats Cookin said...

Wow this looks great my dear, perfect for fall and amazing to serve guests...just in time for thanksgiving!

ping said...

Mmm ... I love all these dippy things. Bread and dips, I could have that as a meal. Gorgeous color!

Bianka said...

Nagyon szeretem

Shabs said...

I am with you on that , sometimes you simply don't want to photograph anything . Love the colour on the hummus , looks and sounds gorgeous .Take care Elisabeth :).

Sarah @ Homestyle Cooking Around the World said...

I love hummus in any flavor and this looks great! Will have to look for some of these peppers and try this recipe.

Kati said...

Nagyon szép a színe, bár nem jöttem rá, hogy igazából miből készül:) Sárgarépa?

Christine's Pantry said...

The hummus sounds great.

Lizzy said...

Lizzie, what a delicious twist on hummus. I try to always have a stash in my fridge, but I think I'll try your spicy version next. It's so pretty!!!

Emma said...

Nice! I love hummus and adding a spicy kick is genius.

Junia said...

oh my goodness, this hummus looks DELICIOUs. i love the color here! i want to try making this with pinto beans since i can't have chickpeas. thanks for the recipe post :D

Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. said...

Wow, this hummus looks delicious! What a pretty color too!

Nami | Just One Cookbook said...

Hi Elisabeth! Hmm! I love hummus. I'm not sure how spicy this is but with reducing spice level I would totally enjoy this. I wish I can eat super hot food like my husband then I could enjoy more food...

Elisabeth said...

Kati-Ez csicseriborsó, vagyis garbanzó le darált babbal lett készitve, és a szárz csipotli paprikával, ami áztatva lett forralt vizbe, vissza változott a puha formájában, és szósz lett készitve belőle, ami narancs sárgává tette az egészet. Kissé csipős, de nagyon finom!

Purabi Naha said...

The picture of the Hummuus looks stunning! I am really drooling now!!I loved the recipe and absolutely loved my stay here!!

Patty said...

I love hummus...just bought " home made" hummus from our local farm stand store...but you have inspired me to try making my own!!!

Gina said...

I bet this was so good, everything Alisha does is a work of edible art! I've never tried drying cilantro, I'm always disappointed when I buy it and it's dead the next day, I'll dry it next time. Go rest for a while and I'm sure you will feel better. I can't believe how fast Nov is coming and once you go to the festival, I'm sure you will experience food overload! Have a great week.
-Gina-

the Junkie book said...

that looks totally lip smacking!! yea i can see how much you might have enjoyed it!
and your refrigerator seems to be huge...lucky you!

houz your daughter who was un well months back? and how's your son's writing/publishing?

Spoon and Chopsticks said...

Oh how lovely! Love the colour of hummus. Also thanks for sharing that info on cilantro.

----------------------------
Regards
Spoon and Chopsticks
http://spoon-and-chopsticks.blogspot.com

Alaiyo Kiasi-Barnes said...

First, you had me at "Chipotle"--I love the stuff. Secondly, I grew cilantro this summer and was disappointed that it didn't grow better, but now I know that it underperformed because it was, likely, planted in a location that was too hot (south-facing slope). Thanks for the tip about growing cilantro. I'll site the plants more carefully next year.

I love your recipes here. Your cooking range is so wide. Anyone who can cook a spicy beef fry and lentil balls is one heck of a cook in my estimation.

I'm glad I found your blog.

Cheers,
Alaiyo
Pescetarian Journal

Parsley Sage said...

Fantastic color! Its a great recipe to get over your photography 'funk' with :)

Sandra said...

Well thank you about cilantro info..I think I will give it a try..this year I planted basil and it was growing so good..I felt so proud:)) I should dare to grow some other herbs too.
I love Alisha's site, and hummus that you made look and sound so good!! Great flavors for sure!!!
Thank you for sharing and hope you are doing great! xoxo ciao

Amy said...

This sounds so incredibly good! I love smoky chipotle, and it would be amazing in hummus! I have to make this and share it with my Mom, it is her favorite spice!

Kathy said...

Elizabeth, Hummus is such a favorite of mine and this version sounds so delicious with a kick! I also like to freeze my herbs, too!

Becky said...

Elisabeth,
Thanks so much for linking to this gorgeous hummus recipe. It will be gorgeous for the neighborhood Halloween party next weekend. Have a great weekend!

Monet said...

I adore hummus. I've missed visiting! I'm so glad my arm is healing and I can type again. This looks so good (as always) and I'm already hungry again even though I just finished breakfast. Much love and many blessings from Austin!

Lyndsey said...

Ha! You sounds so much like me. I use what I have and do what I like when following recipes. I also have a whole area in the freezer (in the garage) for my herbs. I will pull them out in quanities that I might use in a week, (for the regulaly used ones).

So have you made chipotle oil? so you can drizzle that over the top? I have some dried chiptole pepper I just picked up (a favorite at our house).

Swathi said...

Elisabeth, this spicy hummus is calling my name. I need some tortilla chips to go with it. I use only fresh cliantro.

Roxana GreenGirl said...

Hi Elisabeth.
I hope you're feeling better and in soon you'll share more delicious recipes like this version of hummus.
I tried Alisha's version and can't wait to try yours. We LOVE hummus around here!
Thanks for sharing, hugs my friend!

Miz Helen said...

Hi Elizabeth,
I love Hummus and you know that I will just love your Smoky Chipotle Hummus with that wonderful season. It looks so yummy! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday it is always so good to see you here. Hope you are having a great week end and come back soon!
Miz Helen

Veronica's Kitchen said...

Thanks for the great idea of drying fresh herb. I did freeze some thyme a while ago as it's store brought and I didn't want to waste it. They are still fresh in the fridge. But I didn't think I should do that for the fresh one I grew in the garden. VeryVeryGood idea!

Magic of Spice said...

Thanks for the mention my friend :) Your hummus looks amazing and love the info on cilantro, oh and that gorgeous photo as well :)