Pumpkin & Pomegranate

Ok, so anyone remember me talking about my favorite Greek Place? No? Have I even mentioned it? I can’t even remember for sure, but there is this great little family owned Greek hamburger joint that I adore. They make the best falafel I have ever had, and since I stopped eating most meat when I was eight I have had my fair share of falafel! Well, after I decided to get healthy, I laid off the fried foods and so I stopped hitting up my favorite little joint. One day I couldn’t make it home from work for lunch, so I decided to get their Greek salad minus the feta and the dressing, and added a serving of their hummus on top (and no on the pita). What I got was a fabulous little salad of green bell peppers, cucumbers, tomato, olives, and peperoncini peppers (love them). Oh, and usually it comes with raw red onion but I detest raw onion. They looked at me oddly when I asked for the hummus, but I was paying for it! Anyway, this stuff is the BEST damn hummus I have ever tasted. I became a glutton for it. I bought a tub every day for about 2 weeks, and then realized how very uneconomical this was, especially since it is SO easy to make. So, I decided to research. Here is what I found out:

1. Hummus is not Greek. It isn’t made in Greece, and it is only served in Greek restaurants here because people like it expect it, and therefore they make it because it will sell.
2. Traditionally, you make hummus using garbanzo beans that have been PEELED. This is why my hummus attempts have always seemed oddly textured! I didn’t peel the beans before blending them!
3. Peeling garbanzo beans is uber annoying.
4. There is a Greek dip similar to Hummus, but it is called fava and is made from yellow split peas and NOT fava beans.

And in my testing I tried to replicate their hummus.

Attempt #1: Used dried garbanzo beans. Soaked them. Boiled them. Tried to peel them. Gave up. Used them for something else. Almost positive their hummus is not made with garbanzo beans.

Attempt #2: Used yellow split peas. Boiled them. Blended them with garlic, olive oil, salt, and black pepper(which seems to be one of their secret ingredients by the way). They are not using yellow split peas, but this is stll very tasty!

Attempt #3: Final attempt. Soaked dried, skinned, fava beans, boiled them, blended them with garlic, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. OHMYZEUS. I think it worked!

Ok, so I do think they use fava beans. not positive about it, but this stuff tastes almost exactly like it. Oh, and see anything missing up there? Our little friend the sesame seed paste perhaps? yep. Fairly certain they don’t use tahini either. There is zero bitterness to their “hummus” and I find tahini to be a tad bitter at times. I like it, but honestly I like this stuff BETTER. I cannot say i like it better than my beloved trader Joe’s Eggplant Hummus (no replica of that just yet). But I like this fava dip just as much as I like the eggplant hummus. They are just different flavors entirely.

Serve this stuff with raw veggies, pita, crackers, on top of salad, or with a spoon directly into your mouth. No judgment here!

Fava Bean Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 C. Dried Fava beans, rinsed and soaked for 8 hours
• 4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3-5 Cloves Garlic (or to taste)
• Black pepper, to taste
• Sea Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Drain the soaked fava beans and put into a pot with water to cover. bring to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the beans are easily mashed.
2. Drain, and transfer the beans to a blender or food processor.
3. Add the olive oil, garlic, pepper, and salt and blend. Taste and re-season if necessary.