Hummus a little tune....

Occasionally, I like to make treats for my friends at work.  I enjoy this both because they appreciate it, and it is a good excuse to flex my culinary muscles, and take the temperature of the tastebuds around me, so I know my cuisine still "has it".

I decided a lovely, healthy treat would be in order (and would counter-act the blondies I was bringing as well), so I began the Hummus funnus by infusing extra-virgin olive oil with fresh garlic and fresh rosemary, thyme and Italian flat leaved parsley.  In the bowl it all went, with a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Then, as it sat on the cutting board, getting all herb-a-licious, I assembled my meeez (mis en place, to culinary geekoids like meself), in preparation for the hummus.  I substitute peanut butter and sesame oil for the tahini, since I don't use tahini for anything else, and it would go to waste.

I then cut pita bread into wedges, and got my pastry brush busy painting on the infused oil.  I left the garlic chunks in the oil, as they would have burned. I was after the garlicky goodness, not big chunks of incinerated and bitter garlic.

Look at the money shot of the herby, olive-oil love going on up in here!

Here they are at the end of the process, plated for maximum color contrast on a lovely black platter.....

And yes, they taste as good as they look here. In fact, I was so impressed by the ease of making these, that I thought of a Mexican-themed version for guacamole, or salsa.  Or an Italian-themed version for bruschetta, or caponata.  It is easy to customize something, or tweak it to match certain cuisines. Let your imagination be your guide.

What surprised you by being so easy to make?  What are you most proud of creating?

The final beauty shot after the hummus ingredients took a dizzy ride in the food processor, and were taste-tested and adjusted as necessary... (and apparently, judging by how many times I snacked taste-tested...it needed a lot of adjustments lol)....

Oh yes, victory is mine!  I brought all of this to work today, along with nice bite-sized sticks of carrot, celery, red bell pepper and cucumber. I may end up spoiling my coworkers, or GETTING A RAISE!!! Eat well, and stay tuned for the Barbecue story.......