How to Make the BEST Hummus Ever #FFFBChoppedChallenge
Roasted Beet Hummus Moroccan Flatbread

Here is your mission should you choose to accept it: take these three random ingredients and make them into a kick ass meal! 

That’s right, it’s that time of year again, when me and my bunch of blogger pals, The Fucking Fab Food Bloggers, send each other 3 random non perishable ingredients and turn them into a killer recipe! Just like the chopped challenge show! Make sure to see the bottom of this post to see what got and what they made!

I got my box from Ashley from Big Flavors from A Tiny Kitchen, she sent me:

1 Krusteez Onion Garlic Flatbread mix
1 bag of orca beans
1 bottle of garlic flavored coconut oil.

So, of course, hummus came to mind… but so I went on a hummus crusade. TO MAKE THE BEST HUMMUS EVER!

The Great Hummus Crusade Begins!

As luck would have it, this week on the Bon Apetit’ podcast they had on Michael Solomonov, an Israli chef from Philidelphia. One of his restaurants, Sahav, apparently makes like the best hummus ever! So he was on the podcast giving away the tips and I was lucky to find his recipe on the New York Times website.

So here I am: a Greek and Italian chick setting out to make the perfect hummus and recreate his magic.

Okay so hummus was obvious and I always wanted to make roasted beet hummus… so that was happening.

I also had a flatbread so I had to figure out how to incorporate that… but back to the hummus adventure.

I bought all my ingredients and I get cracking with this hummus recipe, but on my first run I used canned chickpeas and it did not give it the creamy texture I wanted. It was grainy and a little loose from too much ice water I added. #FAIL

I couldn’t post substandard shitty almost good hummus with you… I had to get it right so you could. So I figured out where I could improve. I remembered on the podcast Solomonov mentioned that overcooked beans were the key and I knew I just added too much water. So at 9 o’clock on a Saturday night, I’m at Stop and Shop, NOT a bar. I get dried chickpeas and soak them with the baking soda as they stated in the recipe. (The baking soda acts as a tenderizer for the beans and can help them soften faster.)

TIP: Don’t even try to find tahini at a normal grocery store. The clerk and even manager will start at you blankly and ask you to pronounce it over and over and again and as what it is. Go to a specialty store like Whole Foods and PRO TIP: Trader Joe’s carried it now and it only just over $3!

So I also cook the beans as stated for an hour and a half until they are mushy as fuck. Being that they just cooked they are also still warm for the creaming.

I get my tahini, lemon and garlic mixture nice and creamy and slowly add the beans, scraping the sides often.

And behold: the best fucking hummus I ever made and probably ever eaten! A Hummus-gasm if you will.

Now What do I do about this flatbread?

I visited Morocco, not literally, but I used the flavors as an influence. I also wanted to bring out some more pink. So I added some swiss chard from the garden with some nice pomegranate seeds for a little tart flavor, honey goat cheese for sweet and creamy with a sprinkle of chopped mint.

OMG- it was heaven!

So yes this post is a lot about making the perfect hummus and the journey to get there… but this flatbread is the perfect vessel from this gorgeous hummus!

Now let’s See what the rest of the Fucking Fab Food Bloggers got in their chopped box and what they made…

Matt from Nomageddon made Chicharrones Chimichangas 

Ashley from Big Flavors From a Tiny Kitchen made Veggie and Spice Pork Tenderloin with a Tropical Buckwheat Salad

Ashley from Forking Up made Pecan Crusted Chipotle Drumettes Cold Cous Cous Salad Dressed with Bacon Vinaigrette 

Julie from Bread Booze Bacon made Beer Braised Chicken with Coconut Wild Rice

Heather for All Roads Lead to the Kitchen made Chicken Plantain and Peanut Stew (with or without pretzel dumplings)