Swedish Apple Dill Hummus

Hopefully this is something you'll try at home, but even if you won't, sit back and give it some contemplation.

So it was time to make Hummus, which is one of my favourite dishes to make, not only because of how easy it is, but because there are SO many possibilities for experimentation and flavour surfing. I've done everything from nuts, to confit aromatics (garlic and shallot, in specific), to curry, to herbs of various shades, to stirring in veggies, pesto, sauces of all sorts, and spices of every colour, texture, and flavour. The varieties are dizzying, and it's easy to "taste test" many many times during the making of.

Today, I saw a large bunch of fresh dill in the walk-in, and was intrigued. What about dill hummus? Hmmm. What about SWEDISH dill hummus? Swedish food is famous for its use of the fragrant herb, and is also famous for its love of mixing savoury with sweet (much like what I've seen of Jewish food in New York). So my fool head figured that instead of water, I could very well use apple juice. We have a juicer for a reason, right? Might as well take advantage of it.

While the dill was soaking in water (to remove the sand and dirt), I decided to get some fresh apple juice going. So in went a few apples through the juicer to make myself some fresh pressed apple juice. I made a little extra, and poured it into my cup for a "taste test", as it were. How else can I ensure that it'll be perfect?! By the time the dill was nice and clean (after three or four more washings), the juice was ready to roll. In went the chickpeas. In went the tahini. In went a teeny tiny bit of roasted garlic, sea salt, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and the fresh apple juice. Grindy grindy grind. At the end, I threw in some of the chopped dill, and let the food processor rip on full blast to let it get creamy and smooth. I was going to throw in some chopped apple to stir through at the end, but was worried that they'd discolour and look off.

"Just roast it," Boss Man said.

I get the feeling he's done this before, y'know? So in the chopped apple went with a bit of oil to keep it from sticking to the pan. When the apples were light brown and roasted, I tasted a piece. Oh my goodness! What a revelation! The apples had gone from sweet and juicy to smaller sized tart little bites. When I stirred it through the hummus, it was incredible. I scooped some onto some sliced cucumber to show the waitress, and she seemed fairly pleased as well. "It's my new favourite hummus", she said.

Nice to know!