Friday, May 20, 2011

Starving Artist Series: Beet Hummus




Welcome to the Museum of Modern Appetizers (MOMA).
You have entered the Beet Hummus exhibition. Admission is free for students and seniors. For everyone else, there's a suggested donation of $12. Or a $100 annual membership to Lentil Breakdown will entitle you to visit as often as you like. Just leave your 16-digit credit card number in the comments below.

Please don't touch the art or the alarm will sound. Let us begin.

This vibrant Beet Hummus on a Cheater's Lavash Cracker canvas is a post-modern interpretation of the classic garbanzo bean hummus from the popular Legume school. The early, earthy work has been updated with a brilliant fuchsia palette and complex sweetness from blending fresh beets with the original bean medium. Lemon zest creates a bright, contrasting flavor for the ideal balance. Olive oil smooths out the thick impasto texture, creating a lustrous work with refined, velvety passages. For a dryer, matte finish, this last step may be omitted, however most artists choose to work in oil.

This Beet Hummus in fuchsia can be curated with the complementary Edamame Hummus in green (sneak preview above) for a glorious group show. Please come back soon, as the Edamame Hummus exhibit will be opening shortly.


Starving Artist Statement

"Sure, after creating this masterpiece, I got a show here at MOMA. But day jobs are for losers. So I am now accepting 'grants' from rich benefactors so I can stay home and cook up more tour de forces like this. The future of culinary art is in your hands, wealthy patrons. Ok. Gotta go eat some of this brilliant hummus. Am starving."
—L.B.
P.S. No pressure or anything.

Beet Hummus Recipe

2 medium beets

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup sesame tahini

¾ of a lemon, juiced

½ tsp (packed and heaping) lemon zest, grated

1 ¼ tsp cumin

½ tsp salt (may need a little more)

1 - 2 tsp olive oil


Steam or roast beets until tender. Peel and cool. Cut into several pieces. Zest the lemon.

Place garbanzo beans, beets, garlic, tahini, spices, salt, lemon juice and zest in food processor or blender and purée until blended. Adjust spices if necessary. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil while the processor is running. Check consistency and taste. Add more oil if needed (the olive oil is to make the texture smooth. You can add more or less to your liking. If you want to save calories and have a dryer hummus, you can omit it completely and thin it out with a little water instead.)

Note: For these Cheater’s Lavash Crackers, I pre-sliced the lavash bread into squares before baking them and used two kinds of sesame seeds (black and white) for a more dramatic presentation. See link for recipe.

Hummus will keep for about a week in the fridge.


Related Links:

Starving Artist Series: Edamame Hummus

Cheater’s Lavash Crackers

Black-eyed Pea Hummus

Orange-infused Beets with Walnuts

Tri-colored Potato Salad Provencal

Sautéed Rainbow Chard

20 comments:

  1. this looks awesome -- and the color that the beets add is fantastic!

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  2. LOL. Love it! The recipe and the post. Fantastic!

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  3. And it was to become her most important work.

    Stunning. Visually appealing.

    Tasty.

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  4. I have some roasted beets ready to go in the refrigerator. Thanks for the edible artistic eats.

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  5. O this looks AWESOME! i love beets. Your description is so creative-- r u an artist?? Can't wait to see the edamame one...

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  6. The color is slowly drawing me into the computer...slowly..slowly....

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  7. What will it take to get highlighter-yellow or Caltrans-orange added to the exhibit?!

    [K]

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  8. Adair, creativity and humor cannot be bought, sold, or taught- RATZ! you are both... thanks for the giggle

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  9. You had me looking for the "donate" button ... very persuasive! Artist must eat own work to keep starvation at bay ...

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  10. Thanks, Louise!
    Becky: Ha ha! Good point!

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  11. I can't wait to see the next addition to the "exhibit"!! Brilliant and clever writing - I couldn't stop chuckling!!!

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  12. brilliant post, LB! Ah, I am searching for a benefactor as well (sigh).

    Right now I have some cooked chickpeas in the fridge calling out to be used in this beet hummus. What a gorgeous color. Can't wait to see what the next installation brings!

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  13. So fun - can I be just a "fan- hanger on"? Those colors are fantastic.

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  14. Wow - I love hummus, and I love beets. But I have never made beet hummus! You truly are an artist - your writing is inventive and refreshing, while your food is thoughtful and beautiful. I'm definitely trying this recipe! Thanks for sharing!

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  15. Thank goodness the exhibit is free! Looks spectacular! :)

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  16. 2 Nancies + Cathy: Thanks!
    Emily + Janet: Thanks for visiting!

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  17. I love the brilliant color. And heck, that is one post-modern piece of tasty art that is sure to be worth millions some day. ;)

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  18. Adair

    You crack me up! MOMA should start accepting food art, considering how many people obsess about it! I love beets and have made a beet hummus, but not like this one! Got to check it out.

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