Recipe: Tuscan Hummus

You’ll be transported to the Tuscan hills with this recipe for Tuscan Hummus from Chef Jill! She prepared this during the Inaugural AR Workshop Hickory Specialty class, which included a Cheese and Charcuterie Workshop with Chef Jill and Cyndy Saele Bouthillette of Scout and Cellar Clean Crafted Wines. The most requested was the recipe for “Tuscan Hummus,” which Chef Jill included on the cheese and charcuterie trays. The wines were spectacular and Chef Jill is looking forward to seeing the gorgeous finished tray projects!

Tuscan Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 garlic clove 

• 4 cloves roasted garlic, can purchase or roast your own

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling before serving

• 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest 

• 1/4 cup lemon juice, about 1-2 lemons

• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 

• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 

• Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste 

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Tuttorosso® Diced Tomatoes Basil, Garlic & Oregano, drained well 

• Pita bread, pita chips, or assorted cut vegetables for dipping

Directions:

• In a food processor, combine raw garlic clove, roasted garlic, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper.  Pulse ingredients until well combined.  You may add additional oil until dip achieves desired creaminess.

• Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed

• Spread dip into a bowl or shallow rimmed plate, spoon the drained tomatoes over the dip and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.

• Serve with warm pita bread, pita chips or cut vegetables of your choice for dipping.

• Can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

To roast garlic:

• Cut off the top of a whole head of garlic, just a bit, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse kosher salt.  Wrap the head in aluminum foil.  Roast the garlic in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 40-50 minutes.  The garlic comes out soft and creamy, you can simply squeeze the cloves and they will pop out.  Any leftover garlic can be spread on warm bread or added to other dishes for a roasted flavor, such as pesto!