Spiced Chickpea Dip with Roasted Red Peppers

Appetizers and wine with the neighbours, I decided to make this easy but tasty dip, served with toasted naan bread sticks.

Start by dry roasting the spices. Measure the following into a pan:

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric





Cook over a low heat, stirring often, until the spices are fragrant, and start to darken slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Drain a can of chick peas, and rinse well.

Place the chick peas into a food processor or large jug, if you are using a hand blender (which I do).

Add:

2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of olive oil
the roasted spices

Blend the chickpeas, spices, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil until smooth.

Roughly chop one roasted red pepper.

Add half to the chick pea mixture.

Blend to combine. The peppers will still be slightly chunky.

Add the remaining chopped red pepper, as well as 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley. Stir to combine.

Taste and adjust seasoning, with salt and pepper, and more lemon juice if it's needed.






   Brush naan bread with olive oil and cut into strips. Bake at 350F until crispy. Serve with the dip.

• This can also be served with fresh vegetables, or crackers.
• The dip can be made a couple of days ahead, and kept well covered in the fridge.
• Adjust the chili flakes and white pepper according to your taste.
• If you prefer a chunkier dip, puree 2/3 of the chickpeas and fold the rest on whole with the red peppers and parsley at the end.
• Instead of parsley use chopped fresh cilantro to add a bright, fresh taste.
• Use black beans instead of chickpeas, add garlic, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, olive oil, salt and pepper and you have a Mexican style dip. Serve with tortillas or taco chips.
• White beans pureed with olive oil, garlic, chopped fresh rosemary, lemon juice, salt and pepper and you have a Mediterranean style dip.
• Experiment with different herbs and spices, you'll be surprised at what you end up with. Serve with fresh vegetables, bread, crackers, or chips.
• This makes a tasty appetizer, quick and easy snack or lunch or side dish as part of a meal.
• The recipe can easily be doubles, or halved. If you have extra chick peas or beans, they can be frozen for another use.