Garlic Scape Hummus

Close your eyes. Imagine this: your grandmother sitting on the front porch with a towel across her lap, snapping a huge bowl of beans. Now, picture me on my front porch – taller than your grandma and NOT wearing a pink polyester pantsuit – skinning a large bowl of chickpeas. True story!

As I continue experimenting with garlic scapes from my friend Donna, The Novice Farmer, the urge to make hummus was tweaked with curiousity. What would happen if the two ingredients partied in the food processor? Tastebuds explode with happiness, that’s what!

This hummus tastes amazing on every level — the light garlicky goodness of scapes, the slight heat of red pepper flakes, the warmth of black pepper, the brightness of lemon — all supporting the chickpea star!

Now, I have to admit that I’m not a huge hummus lover, but in the attempt to eat healthier, I’m willing to admit that it is a nutritional powerhouse. And doesn’t have to taste like wallpaper paste. (Are you old enough to know what I’m talking about????)

I made mine completely from scratch – ignoring the cans of chickpeas on the grocery shelf and opting for the inexpensive bag of garbanzo beans instead. Which leads me to the question: why have 2 names for the exact same food? One a pea, the other name a bean? Several sources claim that “chickpea” is the British English term for American “garbanzo beans”. I don’t actually care, but at least we all know they are one and the same item.

I soaked the 1 pound bag of garbanzo beans overnight in a large bowl of water. They absorb a lot of water, so don’t skimp. When you drain and rinse them, it should be the equivalent of about 4 cans of beans. You will use only half of those beans for this recipe – plenty leftover for another batch of hummus, or check back in a couple days for another great way to use chickpeas.

Cook the beans on the stove in lots of water for about 2 hours, or in the pressure cooker on high for 12 minutes. Either way, adding a little baking soda helps cut the gassiness of the beans.

You may think I’m teasing with the “peeling chickpeas”, but NOT! That’s precisely what I was doing. If you are texture-sensitive like I am, don’t skip this step. If you look closely at the chickpeas, they are shaped like tiny little bulbs you would plant in the garden – a round end, and a pointed end. Pinch the bean in the middle and let your fingers slide toward the pointy end. Most of the membrane should slip off. If it doesn’t, just move on to the next one. It’s not a deal-breaker! It’s a very therapeutic activity, this peeling chickpeas. 🙂 Grandma understood that.

Rinse the garlic scapes, remove the seed pod and wiry end, and cut each scape into a couple pieces.

In the food processor, whir the garlic scapes, red pepper flakes, and the juice of a lemon until finely chopped.

Then add about 2 cups of the peeled garbanzo beans. Let that process for a couple minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides at least once.

Add the remaining garbanzo beans and whir until smooth. Drizzle in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and add water to loosen the hummus up.

Serve drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with paprika, and some large flake salt. I like hummus best with veggie sticks, but anything works. Hummus can be refrigerated in a tightly covered container for a couple days, but you will most likely devour it before it gets there.

You will definitely want to set aside a cup of this hummus to make Garlic Scape Hummus Chicken. You won’t regret it!

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