Quick Vs Long Lockdown Recipes: Hummus Vs Smoky Black-Eyed Bean Dip

Now that summer has arrived, I'm looking for finger food that is fun to eat on a summer's evening. I find hummus is great for picnics; fresh and tasty for dipping all those summer veggies into (perhaps vegetables from your own garden if you're green fingered). If you've got more time to spend, try making my gorgeously rich and smoky black-eyed bean dip - not only a great dip, but also fantastically versatile, to be enjoyed as a main course with rice or crusty bread.

Quick Recipe - Hummus (serves 2-4)

My secret ingredient? I like to use peanut butter instead of tahini!

Whizz up in a food processor 1 can of chickpeas, 1 garlic clove, 3 tbsp peanut butter, juice of 1 lemon and 4tbsp olive oil. Check the consistency. You will likely need to add a couple more tbsp of oil so it's nice and smooth; pulse to mix. Season with salt and pepper. Done! So much tastier than shop bought. Dip your favourite crudites into it, or cook your own tortilla chips (see below).

Recipe adpated from Fit&Well Magazine July 2020 issue.

Longer Recipe - Smoky Black-Eyed Bean Dip (serves 4)

This recipe is fantastically rich and deep in smoky flavour, and even includes chocolate! It's fantastically adaptable too; I like to eat it as a hot dip with tortilla chips, but it works equally well eaten like a 'chilli con carne' with rice, or as a stew with crusty bread.

First, prepare your black-eyed beans. Measure out 2 cups of beans and rinse them well under cold running water. Boil for 10 minutes, then drain the water. Add 3 times the volume of water to the beans again, and simmer for approximately 90 minutes until tender (follow the instructions on the packet). Or cheat to save time and buy a tin of ready cooked black-eyed beans. Set aside for later.

In a large frying pan on a medium heat with a dollop of oil, soften 1/2 roughly chopped red pepper and 1large finely chopped flat top mushroom for approximately 10 minutes, stirring to prevent catching.

Next, add 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped and stir for 2 minutes. Then add your spices and coat everything to mix for a minute : 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1 tsp. smoked paprika.

Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a small handful of roughly chopped fresh tomatoes and a handful of finely chopped ham and salami. Add 1 tbsp. sugar and a small handful of finely chopped fresh green herbs (coriander, marjoram and basil all work well). Turn the heat up to encourage the sauce to reduce and thicken for 10-15 minutes, stirring occassionally to prevent it from burning.

Now the fun bit - add 2 large squares of dark chocolate and stir to mix as it melts. Watch your dish deepen into a rich dark red-brown colour. This will add a gorgeous richness to the dish, and really bring out the smoky flavour. Turn the heat down slightly, and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir through the black-eyed beans, then leave to stand and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

10 minutes before the end of cooking time, take some tortilla wraps and chop evenly into 8 triangles using scissors. Bake at 180C for 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Ta-da, you've got some crunchy tortilla chips for dipping!

Spice inspiration taken from The Telegraph Online.

Happy cooking x