Velvet Wine Hummus

I love hummus.  It does not need refrigeration, which is important to me because I have to pack lunch and dinner many days, and I have to travel light.   Hummus, a hunk of home made bread, some carrots and celery, a few tea bags, some good quality instant coffee (Medaglia d'Oro) and my own mug and I'm set.  Since I take hummus so often, I'm always monkeying with the flavor of it.  I made this yesterday and loved it. 

I could, if I were a purist, cook my own chickpeas, but it's summer, so I just buy canned.  It doesn't seem to matter to me which brand they are.  The quality of olive oil does matter; I always use extra virgin and never use Western Family brand, which is just terrible.  DaVinci, which is inexpensive, is ok.  I use some toasted sesame oil, which is cheap, in place of tahini, which is not.

Velvet Wine Hummus Ingredients
2 cans chickpeas, drained
3 tbsp.toasted tahini
1/4 c. red wine (inexpensive is ok.  We use Rex Goliath Merlot or Pinot Noir, which are acceptable for drinking as well as cooking)
1/4 c. olive oil
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1/8 - 1/2  tsp. salt (I use a mix of sea salt and Himalayan pink salt for everything, not because I can taste the pink salt when it is diluted so thoroughly, but because as soon as I stop using it, I get Charlie horses!)
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic 
1/2 - 1 tsp. tandoori spice

Blend until smooth.  Check for texture.  If you are using it as a sandwich spread, you may want to stop here.  If you are using it as a salad dressing, you may want to add another tbsp. each wine, olive oil and red wine vinegar and then blend it some more.  Place it in a bowl and pour a little more wine around the edge of the bowl, as above. 

Serve with a nice salad and some good crusty bread.  Those red and yellow stripey things in the salad, by the way, are beans from my garden (actually, the whole salad is, except some of the lettuce and the carrots).  Beans are quite delightful eaten raw within a few hours of picking, before they wilt and get rubbery.   

Enjoy!