Loaded Truffle Hummus

Hummus sometimes feels like a cop-out when it’s served at a party or an event. Not this kind, I am telling you your mind will be blown! You don’t even need to serve the truffle hummus with the toppings because it’s a game changer on its own, but if you are looking to impress you might as well top it off with some sautéed mushrooms, sliced red onion, toasted pine nuts and goat cheese crumble. Dig in with some vegetables or my personal fave – some soft, heated, fluffy pita bread. YAS! This can easily be made vegan by omitting the goat cheese and sautéing the mushrooms in oil instead of butter. P.S. do not skip the step of boiling the canned chickpeas – without this your hummus won’t be velvety smooth.

Loaded Truffle Hummus

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Yield: ~1 ¾ cups hummus or 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

For the Truffle Hummus

• 1 can chickpeas (398 ml), drained and rinsed

• ½ tsp. baking soda

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1/3 cup tahini

• 2 tsp. truffle oil

• 3-4 tbsp. ice cold water

For the Topping

• 1 tbsp. olive oil

• 1 tbsp. butter

• 2 cups button mushrooms, sliced

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 2 tbsp. red onion, thinly sliced

• 2 tbsp. crumbled goat cheese

• 2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts

• 2 tbsp. chopped parsley

• Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

For Serving (optional)

• No pocket, Greek-style pita bread

• Seasoning salt, to taste

• Assorted vegetables
  

DIRECTIONS

Place the chickpeas in a medium saucepan and sprinkle the baking soda overtop. Cover the chickpeas with water, so they are a few inches submerged and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes until the chickpea skins are falling off and they are very mushy. If you skip this step, your hummus will not have the same creamy texture. Once cooked, drain the chickpeas and rinse with cold water.

While the chickpeas boil, heat olive oil and butter in a large fry pan over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook and stir until the mushrooms release more of their moisture, approximately 10 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine the lemon juice, garlic and salt. The garlic should be finely minced. Add the boiled chickpeas, tahini and truffle oil and cold water and blend until smooth. If the hummus is too thick, add more cold water, a tablespoon at a time.

To serve the loaded hummus, smear the truffle hummus over a large plate using the back of a spoon. Top with sautéed mushrooms, red onion, goat cheese, pine nuts and parsley, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. 

I like to serve mine with heated Greek-style pita bread. Simply heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium-high, and warm a pita until lightly browned. Flip, sprinkle with seasoning salt and brown on the other side. Remove from the pan and slice into wedges. Serve while hot, alongside the loaded hummus. I also served mine with a bunch of cut up vegetables.