TGI Hummus! Do you make your own? Hum-must give it a try! (Get it?) It’s easy, healthy and way tastier. Get crazy with this Hummus with Pastrami, Leeks and Shiitake Mushrooms!
Oh yeah. I put meat in my hummus. Wanna make something of it? Didn’t think so. It adds this subtle smokiness that compliments the mushrooms nicely. It’s optional, but mmmm meat.
Speaking of meat, do y’all watch The Bachelorette??? (How’s that for a transition?) I know you do. I’d say that it’s my guilty pleasure, but I have no guilt about it at all and want nothing more then for JoJo to find love and happiness, or at the very least a consistent daytime talkshow gig.
We started having weekly ladies nights along with JoJo themed food (I’ve been documenting it on my personal Instagram. I only with that Chad-cuterie was my idea. And are you watching Chad on Snapchat? You must!) I get so excited for Mondays it’s probably not normal. Okay, definitely not normal.
Anyhoo, last week we heard that James T and Luke were performing a concert super close to our bachelorette party house (#blesst), and quicker than you could whip up a batch of Red Rose Sangria we had a dozen girls ready to go!!!
The venue was a sandbox meets bar and pretty much everything you would hope for plus more. A few hundred ladies in heat, a sub-par musical performance, lots of roses and even more tequila. Why no straight men decided to come on over and sweep up is beyond me. But I digress. Here I am with my friend/sister wife Ali and Luke- no that isn’t a wax statue. He’s real.
Something else that’s real? Real good that is- this hummus!
And I know I’m getting a little ahead of myself, but Rosh Hashanah will be here before you know it and leeks are a traditional ingredient to use, so you could make this hummus as an appetizer and this is the longest sentence ever!
Whip it good.
I turned some of my chickpeas into classic hummus. 
Just because I can.
But the topping really takes it up a notch. Earthy mushrooms with smoked paprika and slightly sweet leeks. I even made extra as a topping for salmon or chicken! Because I’m crafty like that. 
Hummus with Pastrami, Leeks and Shiitake Mushrooms
Ingredients
- For Hummus:
- ½ cup dried chickpeas pickled through and washed well (makes 1½ cups cooked)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda divided
- 1 lemon juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
- ¼ cup good quality tahini
- 2 garlic cloves smashed
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin plus more for garnish, or to taste
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for garnish
- 3 tablespoons or more reserved cooking liquid
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For Pastrami Leeks and Shiitake Mushrooms Topping
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons pastrami chopped fine
- 1 cup leeks cleaned well and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika or to taste plus more for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- The night before hummus time, put ½ cup chickpeas with ½ teaspoon baking soda in a large bowl and cover with cold water at least twice their volume. Cover and soak at room temperature overnight. The chickpeas will double in volume.
- The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas and put them in a large pot with ½ teaspoon baking soda and cook for three minutes, constantly stirring. Add cold water to cover the chickpeas by at least 3 inches and bring to a boil. Skim off foam and cook for about 40 minutes until chickpeas are very tender and but not quite falling apart.
- Drain the chickpeas (reserve the cooking liquid, cool and add ice to it to make it very cold) and place them in a food processor and puree. Then add the lemon juice, tahini, and garlic and puree. Then add cumin, olive oil and 3 tablespoons cold cooking liquid and puree until very smooth. Add more liquid if needed to get desired texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste and more lemon juice if needed.
- Then make the topping. In a medium sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add pastrami and sauté for a minute or two until the fat starts to render and the pastrami just starts to crisp. Add leeks and sauté for 2 minutes until they start to soften and then add mushrooms and smoked paprika and sauté until the veggies are tender. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste (the pastrami may bring enough salt).
- Serve warm or room temperature over the hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and more smoked paprika with pita and sliced veggies. You can make the topping ahead of time and assemble right before serving.
Get in there!
Everybody in my family love hummus and I always make it at home. Interesting combination that must be tried. What kind of pastrami did you use?
Thanks! Let me know what you think. Honestly I just used a store brand.
Hummmmm, I think you’e onto something here. Giggle.