Chickpea hummus with marinated feta cheese and roasted vegetables

Virginia, the author of Sweet&Sour , brings us a recipe that cannot be missing from our recipe books: making hummus at home is easy and very versatile . It is ideal both as an appetizer and as a first course or accompaniment. In this case, she presents it with marinated feta cheese and some roasted vegetables, which go wonderfully with hummus.

We really enjoy summer, don't we? Long, warm days, more lazy days and walks along the seashore or mountain hikes. But I must confess that one of the things I like most about summer is its terrace or garden dinners, which last until the thousand, with long conversation and good company.

But of course, although we like to enjoy special dishes like the rest of the year, we don't like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and clean a lot of kitchen utensils , so recipes that take us little time to prepare are my best option. In this case, I bring you a recipe that is not only a classic of Middle Eastern cuisine, but a classic on my table: Humus .

Hummus is a paste made from chickpeas and tahini, with lemon, garlic and cumin, typical of Arab and Israeli cuisine, which drives me crazy and which I'm sure almost everyone has tried and knows.

Skeppshult cast iron frying pan , Fleur de Ligne porcelain tray , Triana glass jug and glass , Trilloliva EVOO and Masterclass round board

This dip is usually served in traditional mezzes and is traditionally accompanied by pita bread and crudités for dipping, but today we are going to accompany it with something more special, a luxurious marinated feta cheese that we can use for other recipes and some roasted vegetables, which we can have ready in the fridge in advance if we don't feel like turning on the oven at that moment. Although I assure you that it takes just over 15 minutes.

In short, a quick and fresh recipe that we can prepare in advance, just waiting to serve. Do you like the idea? Let's get on with the recipe.

INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE CHICKPEA HUMMUS

For the Humus:

• 400gr of natural chickpeas
• 3 cloves of garlic without the germ
• 80-100 ml Triolliva Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• The juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 tablespoon tahini or sesame paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 50gr of water approx.
• Sweet paprika, black sesame seeds and olive oil to decorate

For the marinated feta:

• 250gr of feta cheese
• Triolliva Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Lemon thyme, oregano and/or fresh sage to taste
• Lemon zest
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the roasted vegetables with aromatic herbs:

• 1/6 dozen carrots, tomatoes, radishes, peppers
• Salt
• Thyme, oregano and fresh sage
• Triolliva Extra Virgin Olive Oil

PREPARATION

To prepare the humus:

1. We clean the 400g of natural chickpeas well under running water from the tap.
2. We put the clean and drained chickpeas, together with the rest of the ingredients, except for the Triolliva Extra Virgin Olive Oil, in the glass of the hand blender or the blender and blend well until obtaining a paste as smooth as possible.
3. With the engine running, we add the oil in a thin stream.
4. If the texture is still too thick, you can add a little more water. It should be like a thick cream.
5. We adjust the lemon, cumin and salt and set aside in a container in the refrigerator covered with a thin layer of Triolliva Extra Virgin Olive Oil to prevent oxidation.

To prepare roasted vegetables with aromatic herbs:

1. Preheat the oven to 175ºC with heat from above and below.
2. We clean the carrots well under running water, scrape off the skin and cut off the stem. We cut them in half. We do the same with the rest of the vegetables and if they are large, like peppers, we cut them into pieces.
3. Place in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Add the sprigs of thyme and rosemary and pour in a splash of Triolliva Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
4. Roast for about 15 minutes, until the carrots are tender but slightly crunchy. Remove and allow to cool before serving.
5. If we are not going to enjoy them right away, we can store them in an airtight container in the fridge until we are ready to eat them.

To prepare the marinated feta cheese:

1. We cut the Feta cheese into small squares and place it in an airtight jar .
2. We cover with Triolliva Extra Virgin Olive Oil and add the aromatic herbs and lemon zest.
3. We keep it for at least 24-48 hours so that the cheese acquires the aromas of the oil and herbs.

Skeppshult iron spice jar and pepper shaker , Skeppshult iron frying pan and Triana glass jug

This is an ideal dip to enjoy at summer meals, either as a starter or as a snack, but accompanied by this marinated feta cheese and roasted vegetables, it makes it an ideal main dish for summer.

Tips:

When you put the garlic in the blender with the rest of the ingredients, remove the germ inside to prevent the garlic from repeating.

Enjoy.
Virginia