I find that it’s in warmer weather than my refrigerator fills with dips, sauces, and condiments. In colder months, it’s filled with soups and stews, one pot meals that need no additional seasoning, save for a quick gremolata or a dusting of seasoned breadcrumbs. I might find myself thinking I should whip up some romesco or chimichurri, but I rarely do.
This seasonal shift might be because mix-and-match buffets are perfect for outdoor eating; or that tartines showcasing summer produce need just a swipe of something flavourful to complete them; or that hot weather saps my will to cook and suppresses my appetite, so it’s best to fill the fridge with quick and tempting food. It’s probably the last one, if I’m being honest. The others are simply collateral benefits.
In any case, June is a great time to perfect your house hummus recipe, before it gets too hot and in time for all those picnics you’re going to organize in July and August. This hummus is a great place to start. There aren’t any flavourings incorporated into the hummus itself, save for lemon, garlic and tahini, making it a blank canvas for whatever you choose to garnish it with. I used dukkah and smoked paprika, as suggested, along with a drizzle of olive oil and it went nicely with the rye crackers I had on hand.
I made a full batch, which is at least enough for the weekend. I think I might make some flat breads tomorrow and fill them with hummus and fresh vegetables, for a bit of Eighties nostalgia and some easy weekend eating.
You can read through everyone’s posts here. And consider joining this community of wonderful cooks and lovely people, as we work our way through David Lebovitz‘ My Paris Kitchen.
One Wet Foot 
Looks warm and inviting! I only ‘dressed’ a small portion for my dinner last night and put the balance in the fridge, and look at what I found at Dorie’s site!! http://doriegreenspan.com/recipe/hummus-pancakes/
I did the same – it’s worth making more than you’re going to use immediately, isn’t it? I’m curious to see what you think if the pancakes – good find!
Hi Teresa, I notice you say the only flavourings for the base mix are garlic and tahini – but do you use lemon juice in the hummus? Whenever I make tahini sauce, or hummus, I use lashings of lemon/lime as well as cumin. I notice David uses lemon in the warm hummus and lamb recipe on his blog.
This is one of the favourite tastes of Middle Eastern cuisine: we had tahini sauce last night with baked fish, a special dinner for guests from Alexandria. I made the tahini with water, lime juice, cumin, salt and pepper. Personally, I like to add some plain yoghurt to lighten it a bit, but my husband doesn’t agree. I find oily sesame a little hard to digest. Enjoy your summer dips! (David also has a photo of Lebanese za’atar or lemony thyme, dried and mixed with sesame seeds; great mixed with olive oil, and placed on the table for everyone to dip chunks of bread into.)
Thanks for catching that, Sylvia. There’s lots of lemon in this hummus. I’ve corrected it in the post. There isn’t any cumin or other spices in the hummus – spices are saved for the garnish.
I like the idea of mixing a little yogurt into the hummus. It sounds like it would become a lovely sauce.
Teresa, your hummus looks so delicious. I did not have any dukkah left so I went with pumpkin seed. I really enjoyed this, it had such a great flavoring to it.
I was wondering why I thought smoked paprika would be good on this hummus, and of course I didn’t double-check to see that it was one of the suggestions! I didn’t use it and now I wish I had. There’s still some leftover so guess what I’ll be doing later today? 🙂 Looks delicious, Teresa, and I think we do the same thing–lots of dips and sauces for the summertime. Hope the weather is treating you well up there!
I don’t know which is more beautiful, Teresa, your beautiful bowl of hummus or your iris. I enjoyed reading your entertaining post, as always. You described my food thoughts about approaching summer menus in a more flavorful way only you wrote it better. Not so sure about Emily’s hummus pancakes but we’ll have to see what she comes up with. Dorie doesn’t steer us wrong so maybe they are good.
Hello Teresa: I add some yoghurt to tahini sauce just to make it a little lighter – I think it works well. Have never tried it with hummus, however. Hummus is lovely in wraps, used as a spread, and with the addition of a filling of herby roast peppers – great veggie picnic fare!
Ah, I get it now!
Yes, we are in the mix-and-match buffet season and this hummus is so appropriate to get us started for the seasonal entertaining ideas. I love the look of dukkah and the pool of olive oil on top of the hummus reflecting the cool morning light, I supposed. Nicely done!
One of my favorite things to have around at all times and, quite right, perfect for al fresco eating or entertaining too!
Your photos are beautiful! I bet the hummus was delicious with the dukkah.