A Seasonal Delight: Wild Garlic Spring Hummus l Saisonale Küche: Hummus mit Bärlauch

Who doesn’t like hummus. It never ceases to amaze me that just cooked chickpeas, a few other ingredients and a couple of minutes in the food processor produces something so tasty. Yes, it is rather substantial but then again, it is also good for you. It seems that there are endless variations of hummus recipes. Some keep it simple, really just chickpeas, salt, sometimes pepper and a little olive oil, others are a bit more elaborate. For this Wild Garlic Spring Hummus recipe I like to use the basic ingredients – and most important of all – a bunch of really fresh seasonal wild garlic (aka ramson or bear´s garlic) from our garden. Wild garlic is available in April or May and is best harvested before the flowers appear.

This spring hummus recipe has a fresh, wild garlic flavor. Wild garlic gives off an incredibly pungent smell in the wild. Unlike common cultivated garlic, it's the leaves that are eaten rather than the bulbs. The taste is more delicate too, similar to the flavor of chives. The wild garlic leaves can be eaten raw or lightly cooked. Wether you buy some at the market or go foraging for wild garlic leaves, make sure to wash them well - some recipes also call for blanching the leaves for a few minutes in boiling water in order to tame the garlic taste somewhat but I do not really find that necessary. The garlic taste is subtle and elegant and just right with fresh wild garlic.

When you forage for wild garlic, you should always remember that the shape of the leaves are similar to some other inedible plants (such as Lily of the Valley or Autumn Crocus), so ensure proper identification by crushing some of the leaves in your hand. The tell-tale odor should ensure you pick the right leaves.

Wild Garlic Spring Hummus l Hummus mit Bärlauch

Ingredients

• 250g cooked chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained either use dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked the following day or use canned
• 3 tbsps good quality tahini (sesame paste)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 50g wild garlic, washed, dried and roughly torn (you can also add a few fresh basil leaves to the mix)
• 60ml olive oil (use a mild one)
• sea salt and a bit of freshly ground black pepper to taste
• some of the cooking liquid from the chickpeas or water

Toppings (optional)

• cooked chickpeas; chopped wild garlic; chili flakes; sesame seeds; sweet paprika; olive oil; etc.

Preparation

1. Put all the ingredients into your food processor.
2. Process on high speed for 5 minutes or longer until the hummus is extra-smooth.
3. Add cooking liquid or water until you have the thickness and texture you prefer.
4. Add toppings and garnish as you please.

NOTE

This Wild Garlic Hummus is best served with a drizzle of high-quality olive oil and toppings of your choice. Serve grilled flatbread or pita bread, grilled halloumi (a semi-hard, unripened cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's milk, with a high melting point that can be fried or grilled) and assorted olives alongside.

For more Hummus recipes:

• Hummus with Broad Bean & Garden Herb Topping (Hummus mit dicken Bohnen & Gartenkräutern) (HERE)
• Pottery Love, a handcrafted Bowl and Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi's Basic Hummus (HERE)
• River Cottage Veg Everyday: Cannellini Bean Hummus (Cannellini-Bohnen Hummus) (HERE)
• Red Beet Hummus & Comfort Food (Rote Beete Hummus & Wohlfühlessen) (HERE)
• Seasonal Cooking: Hummus with Rhubarb Topping & Homemade Tortillas (Saisonale Küche: Hummus mit Rhabarber-Topping & selbstgemachten Tortillas) (HERE)

For more Wild Garlic (Bärlauch) recipes:

• Wild Garlic Quiche (Bärlauch Quiche) (HERE) 
• Wild Garlic Potato Buns (Kartoffel Brötchen mit Bärlauch) (HERE)
• Wild Garlic & Wild Garlic and Cheese Focaccia (Bärlauch & Bärlauch Parmesan Focaccia) (HERE)
• Crustless Quiche with Green Asparagus & Wild Garlic (Bodenlose Quiche mit grünem Spargel & Bärlauch) (HERE)
• About Onion Skins in your Quiche Crust & Leaf-to-Root Eating Part 1 (Über Zwiebelschalen im Quicheteig & Genuss vom Blatt bis zur Wurzel) (HERE)