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