Creamy Eggplant Hummus

The past week was decidedly fall, temperature-wise, here in the Hudson Valley. The air conditioning has given way to cool breezes coming through the open windows. Summer’s end brings the briefest of lulls in tourists until they return en masse to admire the fall foliage. It was quite the dry summer up here, so whether we’ll see deep crimson and gold colors, or everything will go from green to brown is yet to be determined.

The basement pantry is restocked with home-canned tomato sauce, both a plain passata and marinara. Someone from Italy a few years ago told me they didn’t know what marinara was, so I guess that’s just an Italian-American thing, but I trust you all know I mean a simple tomato sauce made with basil, garlic, salt & pepper.

It’s the simple pleasures of being able to pull a jar of sauce, or homemade jam, off the shelf that help me get through the shorter days headed our way. Still, even knowing daylight will be a fading commodity over the next few months, I’m still firmly an autumn and winter person.

I appreciate the way these seasons coax me into slowing down. The downside is there will be shoveling in my future, possible weather-related power outages, and less outdoor time.

But it’s all cyclical.

Time keeps moving forward even when the moment we’re in seems static.

So, even in the depths of winter, when darkness reigns in the sky, there’s the hope of longer, warmer days to come. And the opposite can be said of summer when we’re sweltering.

Rinse and repeat, season after season, year after year—moving forward is really all we can do.

For now, at this moment, I’ll keep enjoying the last bits of summer’s bounty, like with this creamy eggplant hummus. It’s a recipe I’ve been making for seven years now, and one I hope you give a try while eggplants are still available at the farm stand or farmers’ markets.

Be well, and remember to be kind. —xo, j.

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Creamy Eggplant Hummus

Serves 6

3g protein | 14g carbs | 2g fat | 83 cals | 6g fiber

Note: nutritional information doesn’t include the optional toppings

2 medium eggplants (about 450g each), pricked a few times with a fork

Few cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon tahini

Freshly grated zest & juice of ½ to whole lemon

½ cup cooked chickpeas preferably homemade, plus a few chickpeas to garnish (or add these Crispy Roasted Chickpeas)

1 tablespoon chickpea cooking liquid (or liquid from canned chickpeas)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Extra virgin olive oil to garnish (optional)

Fresh mint as much as you’d like, chopped, to garnish (optional)

Fresh pomegranate seeds to garnish (optional)

Za’atar to garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Add the eggplants to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan. Bake for 30 minutes more, until eggplant is very soft when poked. It’ll collapse and shrivel a few minutes after coming out of the oven. Set aside, and let cool.

Once cooled, slip the skin off the eggplants, and peel garlic (it should easily pop out).

Note: you can prepare the recipe up to this point one day in advance, and store eggplant and garlic in the fridge.

Add the eggplant, garlic, tahini, lemon zest & juice, chickpeas, cooking liquid, and cumin to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until everything is thoroughly broken down. Season with salt and pepper. Process until very smooth.

Spread the dip into a shallow serving bowl. Garnish with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Top with reserved chickpeas, mint, pomegranate seeds, and za’atar, if desired. Serve immediately.

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Notes

Can I use Canned Chickpeas?

Totally, although they are less flavorful, so you might want to boost the flavor with more cumin, use the full amount of tahini, and swap in vegetable broth for the tablespoon of cooking liquid (water can be used, too, in a pinch).

How To Store

If not serving right away, store dip in a covered container in the fridge. Let come to room temperature before adding garnish and serving.

Give it a Boost

If you love roasted garlic, go ahead and add an entire head to the pan. Use what you need for this recipe, and store the rest in a covered container in the fridge, Use as needed, within 1 week.

Print Creamy Eggplant Hummus

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Did you find a typo? Thanks for your eagle-eye! I’m a one-woman business here, so sometimes typos and editing errors slip through regardless of how many times I proofread recipes and posts. Feel free to leave a comment and I will correct it as soon as possible.