We’ve been having our own little hatch chile festival over the past couple of weeks. It started with salsa. And now we’re onto hummus. I love playing dress up with hummus. Start with plain, naked chickpeas and give them some personality with whatever your imagination can come up with. hatch chile. sun dried tomato. basil. kalamata olive. spinach artichoke. jalepeno. roasted garlic. red pepper.  sweet potato. Anything goes. Of course you can’t go wrong with the classic, but why not change it up a bit?

Hatch Chile Hummus

What you’ll need:

2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can, drained and rinsed)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
2-3 roasted hatch chiles, chopped

What you do:

Using a food processor or blender, first put in the garlic clove and pulse until minced. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil and puree until smooth. Add the water gradually as needed to facilitate blending. Continue blending until the hummus is no longer grainy or gritty. Now, add the chopped chiles. Add one chile at a time, tasting as you go to get the flavor just as you like it. We used three chiles which was just enough to give it a subtle spice and a slightly darker tone. You can also add cumin or paprika for some extra spice.

We’re using up the rest of the hatch chiles next week with one more recipe… Stay tuned!