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Pumpkin Hummus and Pita Chips

Having recently acquired some seasonal cookie cutters, it was not a big leap to decide to use them to cute something other than dough, although you might not suspect that if you’ve been paying attention this week. I layered some fresh pitas and pressed the butters through them to make lots of thin chips. There is no magic number here, simply make as many as you’d like. I, personally, like a lot. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet, syrap or brush lightly with vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Rubbing the pitas with a split garlic clove before hand is a good idea, if you want a little more flavor from your chips. Bake for 4-6 minutes at 400F, until browned and crisp at the edges.

But chips, as delightlyfull shaped as they may be, aren’t very interesting without dip.

The moment I saw this Pumpkin Hummus in the new issue of Cooking Light, I went into the kitchen and made it. Lucky I already had all the ingredients on hand.

The dip has the familiar tahini and garlic taste of traditional hummus, but lacks the slight density of the usual chickpeas. It’s light, flavorful and delicious. I omitted the extra teaspoon of olive oil called for in the recipe, since I felt that the tahini had the oil content well-covered. It makes a fairly large batch, but will store well for a few days in the fridge, if it lasts that long.

Pumpkin Hummus

2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp (fresh) lemon juice (lime will work, too)
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (scant 2 cups)
1 garlic clove, smashed

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and puree until very smooth. Add a bit of extra lemon juice if the mixture is too thick to blend thoroughly.

Makes about 2 cups.

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12 Comments
  • Alice
    October 28, 2005

    Glad to hear this turned out well for you! I immediately marked it as a “GOT TO TRY!” when I saw it in this month’s CL. I’m also very anxious to try the green pea hummus as well. Your Halloween pita crisps are adorable!! What a great idea to serve with this!

  • holly_44109
    October 28, 2005

    my friend made this these last weekend for my pumpkin carving party. it was really a nice twist on hummus. LOVED the chips!

  • Mika
    October 28, 2005

    What a cute idea with the cutters. I prefer using pumpkin in savory dishes and your hummus looks interesting.

  • Sara
    October 28, 2005

    Those pumpkin and ghost chips are the cutest things ever!

  • Randi
    October 28, 2005

    yes, i did use a towel. i made it again and didnt use a towel( im following the advice of a pastry chef on egullet). The towel wasnt necessary. It still cracked slightly. I was told that this is the nature of this cake, it just cracks.

  • Reid
    October 29, 2005

    Hi Nic,

    I’m so sorry. I come to “visit” from time to time, but have never left a comment. I’ll try to do so more often.

    That said, this looks really interesting. I’ve used soy beans to make hummus before and I think I might like to try this. It looks perfect for Halloween!

  • Michèle
    October 29, 2005

    Hi Nic, those pita crisps are adorable, very clever use of your cookie cutters, I must go and find myself some! The pumpkin hummus sounds great too, I definitely want to give it a try.

  • Nic
    October 30, 2005

    Alice – I’ll probably keep my eyes out for leaf cookie cutters, since I want to do this again for thanksgiving.

    Holly – Definately perfect for a pumpkin party!

    Mika – I thought this was a very unusual way to use pumpkin, and it worked out so well. Let me know if you end up trying it.

    Sara – Thanks!

    Randi – I guess it’s just one of the things where sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don’t. That’s what frosting is for!

    Reid – Don’t apologise. I don’t comment every time I stop by, either!

    Michelle – It’s a very festive presentation overall. I’m doing it again for some friends soon = and I know they’ll just love it!

  • kickpleat
    October 30, 2005

    As I have left over pumpkin puree in the fridge, I think I will definitely have to try this recipe! Thanks for posting.

  • augustusgloop
    October 30, 2005

    Yum. I love pumpkin. This sounds dee-lish. I’m a little envious though that you guys can get pumpkin in a can. The closest we have is pumpkin soup which is delicious but not as flexible.

  • breckinridge
    November 10, 2005

    I made this last night. I did not need to use a food processor, as my pureed pumpkin was already very smooth. Also I added extra garlic and cayanne pepper. It was great! Lighter than chickpea hummus and a very unique flavor. I highly recommend it.

  • Aislinn
    October 28, 2008

    I just saw this recipe too. My boyfriend is a huge pumpkin fan but I’m currently out of my usual stock of pumpkin and wasn’t sure if it’d be worth it to go buy more just for this recipe. I’m glad everyone liked it so much, I guess I know what I’ll be making this weekend. (along with those vampire cookies I read about which i think my office will love!)

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