Where there’s smoke, you’ll find us. With a fork and knife.

To say we love spicy food in this house is an understatement. We like our salsa is sizzling-ly spicy. Our pizza comes with sausage, pepperoni, and double order of fresh jalapenos… which we then top with crushed red pepper. Our jambalaya hits the table with a healthy dose of Tobasco and jalapeno-spiked cornbread. Our fajitas are served with a side of grilled serranos.

We tend to live by the mantra that if it doesn’t make your nose run, then it’s simply not hot enough. There seems to be a fine line between loving the heat and having your face melt off. We understand… and accept the bad with the good.

A busy work schedule of late and a hefty DIY project at our rental house means no time or motivation to cook. The only thing I’ve been really good about is throwing out wilty produce and making reservations. And hummus. I make a double-batch each weekend. I apparently eat a lot of it.

This week’s twice-a-day snack will pack the heat of on-their-last-leg, wrinkly jalapenos ’cause I just couldn’t bring myself to throw them out. To let peppers go bad is shameful but to actually throw them out… down right blasphemy 🙂

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Roasted Jalapeno Hummus

Roasted jalapenos turn up the temperature on classic hummus.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (approx 2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 Tbsp Tahini
• 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon course salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• dash of cayenne
• 3 jalapenos

Instructions

1. Place top oven rack 4 inches from the broiler and turn on the broiler.
2. Remove the stems from two peppers and slice horizontally into quarters. Do not remove pith or seeds.
3. Toss the pepper with 2 Tbsp olive oil and place into a small oven-safe dish. Broil until blistered and softened.
4. Remove from oven and allow oil and peppers to cool completely. Reserve the oil - you'll drizzle it over the hummus before eating.
5. Combine the lemon juice and water in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the Tahini and remaining olive oil together until smooth.
6. Process the chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in a food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down the bowl.
7. With the food processor running, stream in the lemon and water and process for one minute. Scrape down the bowl again.
8. Turn the food processor on and stream in the Tahini and oil mixture and process until smooth, about another minute.
9. Add the jalapenos (reserve the oil) and process another minute.
10. Transfer the hummus to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for an hour to let flavors blend.
11. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and drizzle with the reserved oil. Top with jalapeno slices from the remaining pepper. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Notes

Yields: ~2 1/2 cups

Adapted from: Restaurant-Style Hummus

Estimated time: 20 minutes