Hummus has become a dinner party staple. It's funny to think that 10 years ago I had never tried it, and now everyone I know seems to have a tub or two of hummus in their fridge at all times. Even though grocery stores stock a wide variety of hummus flavors, making homemade hummus is worth the extra effort.
Charles came up with the idea of Caramelized Onion and Balsamic Vinegar Hummus. He had bought some recently and decided that it is his favorite hummus flavor, and I thought it would be fun to recreate it for a small dinner party we were throwing. And luckily, he loved my version.
I used a mix of balsamic vinegar reduction and balsamic vinegar straight out of the bottle. I wanted to reduce some of the vinegar to get the balsamic vinegar flavor without thinning out the hummus. I did add a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar from the bottle to taste per Charles's suggestion.
The reason why this hummus takes an hour to make is that you can't rush the process of caramelizing onions. You need to go slow and keep the temperature low to get perfectly golden onions. It's worth the extra time.
Ingredients
- 2 Onions
- 5 tablespoons Olive Oil
- ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 cans Chick Peas
- ⅓ cup Tahini
- 2-3 tablespoons of the liquid from the Chick Peas
- 3 tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons Salt
- 2 cloves Garlic
Instructions
- Start by caramelizing the onions. Slice the onions in half, and then slice into thin long even slices. It's important that the onions are evenly sliced so that they cook evenly. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium low heat, add the sliced onions and toss to coat in the olive oil. Let simmer for 40 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown.
- While the onions are browning, heat ½ cup of balsamic vinegar over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until it reduces by half.
- Once the onions have caramelized and the balsamic vinegar has reduced, get to work on blending the hummus. Place ¾ of the onions, balsamic vinegar reduction, remaining olive oil, chick peas, tahini, 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the chick peas, lemon juice, salt, and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend on a medium speed until the hummus reaches a smooth consistency. Add more liquid from the chick peas and/or balsamic vinegar to the hummus to help get it to churn in the blender. I added about 3 extra tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the hummus to add more flavor and to get it to churn.
- Chill the hummus and serve with warm slices of pita bread. Use the extra caramelized onions to garnish the hummus.
You can get my recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Hummus right here.
