Roasted fennel hummus (humous) with fennel and coriander seed flavoured oil

Roasted Fennel Hummus (humous) with fennel and coriander seed flavoured oil

by Azélia on 26/09/2012

in Sauces / Dips / Marinades,Snacks,Starters / Appetizers,Vegan,Vegetables,Vegetarian

It was Max who gave me the idea of making roasted fennel hummus, when I posted my roasted fennel mayonnaise he wondered if he could make it vegan by replacing the mayonnaise with tahini, lemon juice and water…which obviously made my brain immediately turn to the idea of hummus.  I ate this portion of fennel hummus all by myself in two days…I can be selfish like that.

The flavoured oil is not necessary because the hummus tastes great on its own, but if you want to make an occasion out of the recipe then it’s lovely to have another flavour dimension streaking through it.

Roast the fennel the same way as in my recipe for Roasted Fennel Mayonnaise.  If the fennels have any fronds save them to decorate the hummus.

How to make roasted fennel hummus

Blend the roasted fennel into a texture mash, I find the easiest way as I’ve shown with the mayonnaise, is using a hand blender.

Take a can of chickpeas, preferably salted ones because it will make a better seasoned hummus.  Hold back half dozen chickpeas and set aside to decorate the hummus later.  Mash the rest.

Mix the mince up fennel and chickpea mash together.

Add lemon juice, salt, pepper.

Add extra virgin olive oil.  Mix it all together well.

 

To make the fennel & coriander seed flavoured oil

Dry roast the fennel seeds.

Don’t roast the coriander seed because they will lose their citrus aroma.

And since the aroma of the coriander seeds are important make sure they are not old seeds that have been in the back of the cupboard for a while.  When putting your nose to the jar there should be a citrus/orangey fragrance to them.

Crust the roasted fennel seeds and coriander seeds until most of it is powdery.

Add generous tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the seeds and blend well.  Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Using a very fine mesh strain the oil, here I used a tea strainer, very handy.

Push with a teaspoon as much of the oil through the sieve as possible.

It may seem like a pain to sieve the spices but you don’t want the bits in the hummus you can feel them as grit in your teeth.  And you don’t want to use powder because then it overpowers the roasted fennel flavour of the hummus.

Drizzle half the oil now if not eating the hummus all in one sitting, then you still have some for next time.

Roasted Fennel Hummus (Humous)

  • 2 large fennel bulbs roasted and minced, to roast see here.
  • 1 can of chickpeas, preferably salted
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
  • 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of salt (if chickpeas unsalted you’ll need to adjust to your taste)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 – 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the flavoured oil

  • 1/2 – 3/4  teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Reserve some chickpeas for decoration and mash the rest, I used a hand blender, you may need to add a tablespoon of water to help.  Add the minced roasted fennel to the chickpeas along with the lemon juice, salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of the oil.  If you didn’t add the tablespoon of water when mashing the chickpeas, add it now.  Mix really well and taste.

I left my hummus fairly dry and was happy with the texture but if you want it smoother and creamier add more oil.

For the oil

Dry roast in a pan the fennel seeds only over medium heat for 1 minute.  Add the fennel seeds to a pestle and mortar along with the coriander seeds and crush until most of it is powdery.  Add the oil and mix well, let it sit for 5 minutes.  Strain the mixture through a very fine mesh into a little bowl, a tea strainer is good, push as much of the oil as possible.

 

 

 

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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Monica September 26, 2012 at 9:59 pm

I think I’m going to try this over the weekend with cannellini beans (it’s what I’ve got on hand at the moment!). I can just imagine how wonderful this is with the double whammy of fresh fennel and fennel seed. This means a good excuse to make pitta bread, too.

thelittleloaf September 27, 2012 at 1:28 pm

I really like the idea of this. I make my own hummus a lot so love the thought of mixing it up a bit.

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