horseradish hummus with rosemary

I have a sordid confession to make: Tribe makes better hummus than I do. Gah! The horror! I have attempted several different recipes from worthy sources like Bon Appetit and Gourmet — I even had an authentic Arabic version from an old friend — but the stuff from the plastic container can’t be beat. Regardless of which flavor I buy, they always achieve a perfectly smooth consistency and a seamless blend of flavors. Until a couple of days ago, I was beginning to think Tribe had the monopoly on delicious hummus.

Due to the amount of hummus we go through (yes, just the two of us seem to go through a 5 pound vat in less than 30 minutes) it’s a matter of cost effectiveness that I choose to make this at home instead of buying the oh so perfect Tribe. After recently devouring their horseradish hummus, I thought, hey, let’s try it and see what happens. And well, the results were astonishing.

I used Cooks Illustrated’s recipe — a version I’ve toyed around with before, but tweaked it a bit, alright, a lot. It needed quite a heavy dose of horseradish just so you could taste it through all the chick pea, tahini and lemon flavors, and found that instead of blending everything together at once, blending the dry and then the wet together worked much better for consistency and texture. The rosemary, usually relegated to the role of pretty green garnish for an otherwise monotonous tan dip, actually added an extra bit of flavor that put it over the edge. I’m afraid, people, that Tribe won’t be seen in this house ever again.

Horseradish Hummus with Rosemary
Adapted quite a bit from The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook

Makes about 2 cups

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup tahini, stirred well
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons horseradish
Rosemary, minced

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process chickpeas, salt, garlic, cumin, cayenne and horseradish until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. Add lemon juice, tahini, and oil. Process until smooth, about 1 – 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Taste and season as needed.

Transfer hummus to a serving bowl and sprinkle with rosemary and swirl with olive oil to taste. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Serve.

It is best after sitting for 24 hours letting the flavors meld together.