Tomato Basil Hummus Dip

By: The Food Hunter

I've been invited to join this month's Progressive Eats dinner. What is Progressive Eats? Well it's a virtual version of a progressive dinner where people travel from house to house to share in different courses of a meal. For the virtual version a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes on their site and you go from blog to blog to check them out.

This month's theme is herbs and it couldn't be more perfect for me. My garden herbs are growing wild and I love adding them to recipes when they are so fresh. Fresh herbs can dramatically change the taste of a dish, which makes experimenting with different ones fun. Just remember there are no rules when it comes to using herbs. Whatever you like is what works.

We grow a variety of different kind: lemon balm, oregano, sage, basil, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, mint and rosemary. My favorite and the one I find myself using most often is basil. I love the fresh taste it gives to vegetables, specially tomatoes.

When I saw this recipe online I knew I had to try it. A dip that features tomatoes and basil sounds like a dream come true to me. I switched it up a little to meet my tastes and it was absolutely perfect.



TOMATO BASIL HUMMUS

2 plum tomatoes, quartered
olive oil
sugar
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 450. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with sugar. (this is a technique I learned from Mario Batali) Roast until softened and starting to blister, about 30 minutes. Cool.

In a food processor, purée the chickpeas, tomato, basil, oil, cumin, until smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 2-3 tablespoons water as necessary to make creamier.

Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil before serving.

Cooking with Herbs

• Zucchini, Potato and Herb Fritters with a Garlic and Herb Yogurt Sauce from Creative Culinary
• Pesto Pasta Salad from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Homemade Cilantro Mayonnaise from The Heritage Cook
• Methi Machli - Fish with Fenugreek Sauce from Spice Roots
• Tomato Basil Hummus from Food Hunters Guide
• Lemon Sage Mustard from Stetted
• Lemony Three Bean Salad with Feta, Tomatoes, and Marjoram from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Grilled Chicken Shawarma with Fennel Spinach Tzatziki Sauce from Jeanette’s Healthy Living
• Sauteed Zucchini Noodles with Fresh Herbs and HazelnutsfromHealthy Delicious
• Lemongrass Ice Cream from Pastry Chef Online
• Peach Blueberry Basil Cobbler from Never Enough Thyme
• Peach-Rosemary Shrub from girlichef
  
  
  Progressive Easts is a core group of 12 bloggers, but we will always need substitutes and if there is enough interest would consider additional groups. To see our upcoming themes and how you can participate, please check out the schedule at Creative Culinary.