Field Pea and Mint Hummus

This recipe was born out of my inherent distaste for the naked field pea, and the fact that my two year old will eat anything hummus like (this week anyway). This is a nice Southern Interpretation of a once exotic, now ubiquitous Israeli dish. It is also very adaptable and makes great use of this week’s field peas, all of the delicious Riverview Farms garlc sitting in my hanging kitchen basket and fresh mint from the garden (or market). It is also highly adaptable (as most bean dips are) – leave out the curry, substitute parsley or basil for the mint – roast some of those great red peppers and toss them in your cuisinart – you name it!

Ingredients:
1 1/2-2 cups field peas
2-4 cloves of fresh garlic
juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon curry (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
salt to taste

Boil peas in salted water. Drain and cool slightly. In the meantime combine garlic, mint, salt spices and tahini in food processor. Pulse several times to combine. Add field peas, lemon juice and spices. Run food processor and stream in oil until you get your preferred consistency (less for chunkier, pastier hummus, you may need a little more for creamier hummus). You can also stream in a little hot water if you want to loosen up the mixture without adding more oil.

ENJOY!