Loaded Hummus

This is one of my favourite dishes to make because it goes with so many other foods. I serve Loaded Hummus with roasted chicken, pan-fried cod or a head of roasted cauliflower. It’s perfect as a dip by itself or as part of a mezze platter. The expression ‘we eat with our eyes’ has scientific merit as food that looks beautiful stimulates our gastric anticipation which in turn improves digestion. Scattering over the various toppings for this Loaded Hummus is not only fun but it’s incredibly beautiful. The hummus and decoration in this blog post was done entirely by Evelynne which makes my heart happy.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 2 Adults & 2 Kids
400g tin chickpeas
2 tbsps tahini
1 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
30ml water
70ml olive oil
toppings: pistachios, pomegranate seeds, chives, smoked paprika, sesame seeds, pine nuts

• Drain the chickpeas and tip into a food processor. Add the water, tahini, salt and the juice of the lemon. Add the lid and blitz on medium then gradually add the olive oil through the funnel. Blend until you have the consistency you want, the longer you blend the smoother it will be. If you need to loosen the consistency add more water. Taste to see if it needs more salt and/or lemon.
• Shell and chop the pistachios, chop the chives and loosen the pomegranate seeds from the fruit (cut in half and whack hard on the bottom with a wooden spoon over a large bowl). Sprinkle and scatter over the pistachios, pine nuts. pomegranate seeds, chives, paprika and sesame seeds. Add a drizzle of extra olive oil to finish then serve.