[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]
This is a spread I had had in mind to make for a while. I saw it somewhere on the web, but I can't remember where: I only remember that it was a hummus made also with artichokes.
I like artichokes a lot. My mother made them often, when they were in season: artichoke frittata and carciofi alla giudia (Jewish-style) were often on the table. The important ingredient in the latter is mentuccia, a type of mint that grows wild. According to my mother, there was no substitute for it, so we went out looking for it in a place where she knew it grew.
When I moved to Milan, I learned to appreciate risotto coi carciofi and raw artichokes, sliced thinly and added to salads. Artichokes are grown extensively in California, but I have never found an artichoke that would be comparable to the ones I ate in Italy. After many attempts, and many disappointments, I am currently taking a break. So, to make this recipe, I resorted to canned artichoke hearts (cuori di carciofo). I like that they are preserved in just water and salt1. As for the chickpeas (ceci), I cooked them from scratch. In the absence of mentuccia, I picked some orange mint from the pot where I planted it last year. I really like its citrusy notes.
Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Artichocke hummus
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup dry chickpeas, cooked as explained here, skinned (optional, but nice), and drained [check the chickpeas half an hour after the simmering started to estimate how much longer they need to cook]
- 1/2 can artichoke hearts [preserved in water and salt] (4 and a half, 4.25 oz. dry weight), drained
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (cumino) from freshly toasted seeds [you may need to increase this a bit, if your cumin is not strongly flavored]
- a garlic clove (spicchio d'aglio)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
- a few leaves of fresh orange mint (Menta piperita citrata) [I used the tips of two twigs; given the intense flavor of this herb, it is better to start with a small amount and add more if necessary]
- chickpea broth, as needed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- chopped dry roasted and salted hazelnuts (nocciole) as topping, to taste
Place in the food processor the first 7 ingredients above and process until smooth. Add some of the chickpea broth as needed to make the hummus reach the desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper and possibly the other flavorings to your taste. Place in a covered container and refrigerate until close to serving time. Spoon into a serving bowl and sprinkle some hazelnuts on the surface. Serve with bread of your choice and with additional hazelnuts. (Note that the recipe makes quite a bit more of what you see in the photo above.)
The spread has a delicate flavor and you can taste all the ingredients, which is very nice. Originally, I had not included the hazelnut topping, but the spread lacked a little something, so I decided to put on the table a small bowl of finelly chopped toasted and salted hazelnuts. With that, the hummus was perfect. We enjoyed it spread over slices of my homemade challah.
The post allows me to show you my first 6-strand challah, of which I am very proud (I usually make a 5-braid challah). As mentioned before, the recipe comes from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day, which I follow fairly closely. Reinhart suggests a mix of sesame seeds and poppy seeds (semi di sesamo e semi di papavero) as topping and as you can see, the result is very nice (By the way, the poppy seeds come from the poppies that grow in my garden.)
This is my contribution to this month's edition of Healing Foods. The event is organized by Siri of Cooking with Siri and the current edition is hosted by Vanessa of Sweet Artichoke, who chose the theme. This post contains the roundup of the event.
I am also sending this post to Tin Can Recipes, a monthly event that will run until the end of this year. The organizers are Ale, Fra, Sere and Paola of Il Giardino degli Aromi and Brii of Briggis recept och ideer and Briiblog in English. The rules for participating are detailed on this page. This post contains the roundup of the event.
Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:
or launch the hummus ai carciofi audio file [mp3].
[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]
1 The can of artichoke hearts in the photo is for information only: it is not an advertisement. I do not have a business relationship with the product's company.
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hummus ai carciofi
L'hummus è una crema di ceci tipica del Medio Oriente. Questa è una variante nella quale ai ceci ho unito i carciofi. L'idea di usare i carciofi non è mia originale: tempo fa lessi da qualche parte il titolo della ricetta "hummus ai carciofi," ma non mi ricordo dove e non mi ricordo i dettagli. Quindi, quando ho deciso di realizzare l'idea, ho messo insieme gli ingredienti basandomi su esperienze precedenti con l'hummus preparato solo con i ceci.
Ingredienti:
- 100 g circa di ceci secchi, cotti come spiegato qui (controllate i ceci dopo mezz'ora dall'inizio della cottura con gli odori per stimare quanto tempo manca) o come fate di solito, poi scolati
- 4,5 cuori di carciofo, conservati in acqua, scolati (peso secco 120 g)
- 1/2 cucchiaino (2,5 ml) di cumino in polvere (consiglio di tostare i semi a macinarli freschi: il sapore è molto più intenso)
- uno spicchio d'aglio
- 1 cucchiaio (15 ml) di olio d'oliva
- 2 cucchiai (30 ml) di succo di limone Meyer fresco [alternativamente potete usare un cucchiaio di succo di limone e uno di succo d'arancio oppure un cucchiaio e mezzo di succo di limone]
- alcune foglioline di Menta piperita citrata fresca [dato il sapore intenso della menta, consiglio di usare una piccola quantità e aggiungerne se necessario]
- un po' di brodo di cottura dei ceci
- sale e pepe macinato fresco, a seconda dei vostri gusti
- nocciole tostate a secco e salate e sbriciolate distribuite sulla superficie
Frullare i primi 7 ingredienti fino ad ottenere una crema morbida. Se necessario, aggiungere un po' del brodo di cottura dei ceci per ottenere la consistenza desiderata. Correggere sale, pepe a seconda dei propri gusti e, se necessario, le altre spezie. Mettere l'hummus in un contenitore coperto e porre in frigo fino a poco prima di servirlo. Mettere un po' di hummus in un ciotola da servizio e distribuire sulla superficie le nocciole. Servire insieme ad un piattino con altre nocciole. (La ricetta produce molto più hummus di quello che si vede nella foto in alto.)
Questo hummus ha un sapore delicato che lascia spazio a tutti gli ingredienti. Noi lo abbiamo mangiato spalmato su fettine di challah fatto in casa. Challah è un pane tradizionale ebraico fatto con uova e olio, a forma di treccia semplice oppure complessa, la cui superficie è spennellata d'uovo e quindi ha un bel colore dorato intenso. La ricetta che uso io viene dal libro di Peter Reinhart Artisan Breads Every Day. Per l'occasione ho fatto una treccia a sei capi (di solito la faccio a 5 capi) e devo dire che sono contenta del risultato. Per la decorazione, Reinhart suggerisce un misto di semi di sesamo e di papavero e io uso i semi che ho raccolto dai papaveri del mio giardino.
Con questo post contribuisco all'evento Healing Foods. organizzato da Siri di Cooking with Siri e la cui edizione corrente è ospitata da Vanessa di Sweet Artichoke, la quale ha scelto il tema: carciofi. Questo post contiene il riepilogo dell'evento.
Contribuisco anche all'evento Tin Can Recipes dedicato alla celebrazione dei 200 anni del cibo in scatola. L'organizzazione dell'evento è di Ale, Fra, Sere e Paola del blog Il Giardino degli Aromi e di Brii che scrive Briggis recept och ideer e Briiblog in English. Le regole per partecipare le trovate su questa pagina. Questo post contiene il riepilogo dell'evento.
1 La scatola di cuori di carciofo nella foto è solo a titolo informativo; non è una pubblicità. Non ho alcun rapporto commerciale con l'azienda produttrice.
Che meraviglia! Ho comprato proprio ieri a un banchetto ambulante 10 bellissimi carciofi e la tua ricetta capita a pennello! Con gli altri farò la pasta ai carciofi che è in assoluto una delle mie preferite.
Posted by: chiara | March 29, 2011 at 08:05 AM
What a wonderful idea, hummus with artichokes. I'll have to try that. Love the hazelnuts on top, too. And your bread is beautiful. Other than that, I didn't like your post at all. :)
I didn't know that special type of mint is essential for Jewish-style artichokes, by the way. Interesting.
Posted by: Lisa | March 29, 2011 at 10:13 AM
What a scrumptious hummus! I can imagine all the flavours together, artichoke and hazelnuts is such a great combination.
Thanks for sharing this recipe :-)
Posted by: Sweet Artichoke | March 29, 2011 at 12:07 PM
Pasta ai carciofi? Ottima scelta, cara Chiara. I carciofi che si trovano a Roma sono un sogno.
Ciao Lisa. I really like the combination chickpeas + artichokes. And hazelnuts are my favorite nuts. We always had them at home, together with walnuts, so I grew up cracking and eating them. I think that when they are toasted, they have a rich flavor that begs to be paired with other foods. My mother was adamant about mentuccia for her carciofi alla giudia, and I must say that the smell and flavor of this kind of mint is quite particular. I wish I could grow some here.
Thanks, Vanessa. I am very happy to participate in the event.
Posted by: Simona Carini | March 29, 2011 at 10:15 PM
ullallàààà......;-)) versione in italiano per questo hummus originale, copio subito!!! ciauzzzzzzz
Posted by: astrofiammante | March 29, 2011 at 11:22 PM
Ma che ricettttttttttttaaaaaaaaa fantastica!!!!!!!!
Grazie Simo per la partecipazione alla nostra raccolta tin can recipes.
Baciusssssssss Ale
Posted by: Ale73 | March 30, 2011 at 01:48 AM
My favourite chickpeas and artichokes all in one dish Simona. I am in heaven.
Posted by: bellini | March 30, 2011 at 06:50 AM
I just discovered your blog today. Wow! Great recipes! I love hummus and cannot wait to try the recipe you posted with the artichokes. The combinations you mention sound divine! I am going to post your blog name on my "other nests to visit" section of my own blog. Thank you for sharing these fabulous recipes! xoxo Kim
Posted by: Bluebirds and Butterflies | March 30, 2011 at 10:57 AM
I love hummus, any kind! Thanks so much for your very sweet comments!
Posted by: debbie | March 30, 2011 at 11:17 AM
I am so sympathetic with your artichoke quest! One of my favourite vegetables, so difficult to find outside Italy. At least here, when I do find them, they usually are Italian, although old, so they are kind of ok. The last time I went back to Italy it was at the heart of artichoke season: each vegetable stall at the market boasted at least five varieties of artichokes from all corners of Italy. It was one of my hardest moment as an expat.
There is something special with the flavour of artichokes and chickpeas together.
And your challah is a real work of art.
Posted by: Caffettiera | March 30, 2011 at 11:50 AM
Ciao Astro: fammi sapere se lo provi.
Ciao Ale. Piacere mio.
Ciao Val. Glad you like the combination of ingredients. I wish I had tried it before.
Hi Kim and welcome.
Hi Debbie. Hummus is certainly a dish that lends itself to many variations.
Ciao Caffettiera. Imported artichokes are certainly not the same thing as fresh ones. I am in a better situation, since artichokes are grown in California, so you can find fresh ones. Glad you like my challah. I can't wait to try again handling six strands.
Posted by: Simona Carini | March 30, 2011 at 03:49 PM
I've seen a few recipes with artichokes and chickpeas but have never tried this combination before. Now I am sold and it's in my list to try.
Posted by: Ivy | March 31, 2011 at 01:29 AM
Hummus is one of our favorite foods with pita chips or raw vegetables. Use artichokes in many ways but not with chickpeas, your recipe sounds delicious. I really like the use of fresh mint and hazelnuts in your ingredients. Will definitely try it, thank you for sharing.
Posted by: TheGourmetCoffeeGuy | April 01, 2011 at 10:03 PM
I am getting very hungry! ;-)
I love artichokes to no end, and miss the Roman springtime filled with all sorts of treats.
I once managed to find a pot of mentuccia at the Campo de' Fiori market, only to forget to take it back to Vienna (there is a vendor who sells dried mentuccia, but it tastes like nothing compared to the fresh leaves).
Carciofi alla Giudia probably are my favorites, but artichoke hearts saltati in padella or stuffed artichokes (with breadcrumbs, Parmesan and mentuccia) are equally desirable. I want to fly to Rome! ;-)
Posted by: Merisi, Vienna | April 02, 2011 at 10:32 AM
I love hummus and I love artichokes, so I know I would love this! Artichoke fritters are one of my favourite party pieces - everyone loves them!
Posted by: Foodycat | April 03, 2011 at 12:56 PM
Ciao Ivy. I recommend it: the result is delicate and quite charming.
You're welcome, CoffeeGuy.
Ciao Merisi. Indeed, the dried version is nothing compared to the fresh one. I think an emergency trip to Rome is totally justified. I love stuffed artichokes too, but my mother never made them. If one day I find artichokes that I think will work well in the recipe, I'll try. I am getting hungry too.
Ciao Alicia. Artichoke fritters sound good and I can imagine them disappearing fast at a party.
Posted by: Simona Carini | April 03, 2011 at 02:16 PM
Thanks for the recipe. I grow artichoke in my back yard garden and am always looking for new ways to eat it.
Posted by: Debra | October 24, 2011 at 10:06 AM
You are welcome, Debra. This is a really nice spread and I hope you'll like it.
Posted by: Simona Carini | October 28, 2011 at 07:07 AM