Red Pepper Hummus

Makes 2 cups
Hands-on Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes (plus soaking time)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup dry chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans),* picked over to remove any stones
• 2 red bell peppers, quartered, stemmed, seeded and ribs removed
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tbsp)
• 1/4 cup tahini paste 1 clove garlic, whole or roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling, optional
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To a large saucepan, add chickpeas and cover with water. Let soak for 8 to 24 hours, or until they almost double in size. (QUICK-SOAKING TRICK: Instead of soaking overnight, bring chickpeas to a boil in a pot of water; boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside to soak in hot water, covered, for 1 hour.)
2. After chickpeas have soaked, drain and cover again with water. Bring to a boil on medium-high. Boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until chickpeas are tender, 2 hours.
3. Meanwhile, position oven rack 5 inches below heating element and preheat broiler to high. On a foil-lined baking sheet, place pepper quarters, skin side up, and broil until skins of peppers are blistered and charred, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove peppers from oven and place in a resealable plastic bag; set aside to steam for 10 minutes. Remove peppers from bag and gently peel off and discard the blackened skin. Finely chop one of the pepper quarters and set aside for garnish. Coarsely chop remaining peppers and set aside.
4. In a food processor, process lemon juice and tahini for 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl halfway through. Process for the full minute to ensure mixture is creamy and smooth. Add garlic, 2 tbsp oil and salt; process for another minute or until no lumps remain and mixture is very smooth.
5. Drain chickpeas. To food processor, add chickpeas and blend for 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl after 30 seconds. Add coarsely chopped peppers and process until smooth. Continue processing, scraping down bowl as necessary, until mixture is well blended and smooth. Add 1 to 2 tbsp water and blend until mixture is creamy. Top hummus with reserved finely chopped red pepper and drizzle with additional oil (if using). Serve immediately or refrigerate in a covered container for up to 5 days. If hummus thickens, stir in 1 tbsp water before serving.

*TIME-SAVER: If you don't have time to soak the beans, you can use 1 15-oz BPA-free can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed.