I’ve been having a lot of fun trying out new recipes to use my homemade preserved lemons. I made pasta with preserved lemons, capers, and anchovies. Next up: hummus with preserved lemons, harissa, and cumin.
The recipe called for the hummus to be made with fava beans. I got my hands on some dried fava beans, but even after cooking them I found the skin to be tough and unpalatable. So I sat down and took the time to pop each fava bean out of its skin. I took me about 3 hours to get through 3 cups of fava beans. I didn’t mind the task because I’m at home with a shelter-in-place order in effect anyways. But I did also make the hummus with canned garbanzo beans to see how a quicker version of the recipe would compare. The fava beans were better, both in texture and taste. But were they better enough to take three extra hours of my time? Maybe that’s up for debate. :-)
Regardless the hummus was a hit at my house. I served it on a veggie platter and it got gobbled up. I also served it for dinner one night spread on some homemade lavash (a Middle Eastern flatbread) and topped with pan-fried cauliflower that was marinated overnight in a curried yogurt. I garnished with some roasted red peppers and fresh herbs. (And next time I’m going to add pomegranate seeds and/or pomegranate syrup.) That dish got eaten very quickly. :-)
