Sweet potato hummus – an appetiser to brighten your table

DAWN LERMAN

“My 450-pound (204 kg) ad man dad named it the caviar of hummus – exclaiming that it was almost illegal for something so nutritious to be this delicious.

“All the gusto without all the Jewish guilt,” my dad complimented my culinary skills when I was 11.

“After school I read recipes and explored the many ethnic food markets in Manhattan, finding tasty ways to please my dad’s palate while helping him conquer his struggle with obesity.

“This easy-to-prepare delicacy was a staple in his 200-pound (91 kg) weight loss.” 

Sweet potato hummus

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato (about 9 ounces)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
5 tablespoons olive oil (plus additional, as needed, for thinning)
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of nutmeg

Directions:
Position the baking rack in the middle and heat the oven to 425 F. Wrap the sweet potato in foil and bake in a shallow baking pan until it can be easily pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow the potato to cool completely.

Peel the skin off the sweet potato and transfer to a food processor fitted with a blade. Add the chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, and nutmeg, and process until smooth. If the hummus is too thick, add a little extra olive oil or water and process until the desired consistency is reached. (The Nosher via JTA)

Reprinted with permission from My Fat Dad, A Memoir, of Food Love and Family with Recipes by Dawn Lerman.