Halloween Hummus and How to Make It

     I was on a mission.   I needed to bring an  or-derve and didnt want to bring something plain like a cheese and cracker plate or obligatory cookies.

     I didn't want to be THAT guy.

   My mind was racing.   I love invention and trying new things so this is a never been tried before work in progress.    I've been making  homemade hummus for some time so i figured this was my chance to make my mark  on the culinary world.    I will make Halloween Hummus instead of everyday plain old hummus.    Plus  I was  tired of paying an exorbitant  $6 per tub of the stuff.

      I mean its glorified bean dip, right?

     First, get a can of garbanzo beans or chick peas.    Any brand will do it seems.   I generally buy the cheapest I can find.   Open can, drain, then rinse the rest of the goo off the beans with cold water.   I then warm the beans up in a bowl for about 1 1/2 min. in the microwave.   They should be hot to the touch.  They blend better warmed up.

     While the beans are cooling a bit I gather the rest of the ingredients.   I gather lemon juice, garlic juice, onion, salt, pepper, tahina (ground sesame seed) pickled jalopenos, olive oil and water.

--and a red bell pepper, medium green olive stuffed with pimiento, and a small pepper (for the nose).   And of course, it could only be eaten with purple corn chips.

     The only thing I actually had to search for was the tahina.   It is liquified ground seseme seed.   I went to the IndoPak store down the street.  It definitely gives the mix a nutty authentic flavor.   However, on searching the internet I found lots of variations on the recipe.   So my taking liberties with traditional hummus is perfectly within bounds and appropriate.
   
  Just wanted to head off the perfectionist out there.

     I dumped the beans in the my food processor and mixed on low for a few seconds.   I added one tablespoon of olive oil and watched the mix begin to smooth out.   I went to add my garlic juice and discovered it was bad.   I smell everything before I add it due to a foodie disaster in my past.   Thankfully I had some garlic powder and so I dusted the mix with it and kept  the food processor going.    If you love garlic add more.    If you hate it leave it out.    I'm the easiest going chef there is so if you expect hard and fast rules, well, sorry.    Not gonna happen.

     My main rule is, speed tempered only by taste.  I don't have time for that slow cooking point of view.

     I add one teaspoon of tahina.    If you want it more nutty flavored add another teaspoon.   You will have to stir well to get it mixed up into liquid form.   I bent my spoon on this jar!

     I then added one tablespoon of finely chopped onion.    Let it mix some more.  I sprinkled black pepper and salt and mixed.   I also added a teaspoon of lemon juice.   Mix.
About now I begin tasting.     The mix is still relatively stiff and not smooth and creamy.

     You would think, add more olive oil, but DON'T.    It will turn out greasy.   This is when you add plain water.    I sometimes add 4 tablespoons.   It depends how creamy you want the mixture to be.    I like it smooth to the point that it will find its level in the bowl but not runny.   It's a judgement call.    If you get it too wet don't worry, as it will dry out when uncovered.

     I also add a pinch of cayenne and maybe even some oregano.    Like I said, put in it what you want.   It's all good.   You are the chef.    I also added a tablespoon of chopped pickled jalopeno for that Texas Hummus effect!

     NOW, I began to dribble green food coloring into the mix.   Little by little till you get the color you want.   I put more and more in cause the color wasn't green enough.   Finally, I just dumped all I had in there.    It looked about Halloween green to me.

I added another tablespoon of water to get the proper smoothness, test tasted one more time.

     Wah Lah!   It was perfect hummus.
I ran to the local grocery looking for a suitable container  and ran back home to finish up.

But not totally Halloween Hummus yet.    I got a single olive and cut it in half.    Placed just so for the eyes.   Then I cut my red bell pepper into strips and made the grin and the eyebrows.    Finally I put on a single hot  pepper from pepper sauce  as the nose.

HALLOWEEN HUMMUS.

      Isn't it beautiful?

 And totally scary with a little bite from the peppers.    Scoop it up with any cracker or chip.   Purple was perfect for Halloween.
However, in all your joy of creation and screaming IT LIVES at the top of your lungs in the kitchen try and be more careful than me when drizzling the olive oil at the last.   My bottle gushed instead of drizzled and I nearly had a disaster or Frankenstein proportions.

Bone Apa Teeth!

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