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I don’t even know where to begin….. Maybe with my love affair with hummus? Or perhaps my love affair with smokey/spicy flavors? Or perhaps my love affair with carrots?
So here is what happened…. I was cruising the internet for recipe inspiration and I began seeing a lot of recipes that called for Harissa. Harissa? At first glance I had a foggy memory of what this spice blend tasted like. However, after a few minutes of research I quickly remembered my brother’s girlfriend making us roasted delicata squash with a miso-harissa sauce earlier this winter and I got really excited to try this spice blend again. We fell in love right away and I’m surprised it’s taken us so long to try this spice on our own! If you are not familiar (which I was not) Harissa is a sweet and smokey North African chili sauce or seasoning blend. Since I haven’t cooked with it before I started slow and just tossed a few tablespoons with a mix of veggies and roasted them. Taylor and I were both blown away by the flavor and I couldn’t wait to think of other ways to cook with harissa. As luck would have it, I had some chickpeas soaking on the counter and I decided a hummus recipe would need to happen.
I think carrots and harissa are a great combination and this just may be the best hummus I’ve ever made. You can find harissa at most well stocked grocery stores. However, if you cannot find it this is something worth ordering. I plan to use this in more recipes soon and I think you all will enjoy it. I used The Silk Road brand that you can order from Amazon. Feel free to use any brand (paste or spice blend) just remember that the spiciness may vary from company to company.
Spicy Harissa Carrot Hummus
Prep Time: 10 mins. Cook Time: 25 mins. Serves: 4 cups
- 5 medium sized carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or a 15 oz can, rinsed and drained
- 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 1 TBS harissa
- Sea salt to taste
- Minced cilantro for serving
Preparation
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until for tender. About 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
- Add all ingredients except the olive oil to a food processor and whirl away. With the motor still running slowly add the olive oil. If hummus is too thick add a little more oil or a few tablespoons of water.
- Taste test and add more spice if necessary.
- Serve with minced cilantro
Notes
Use this recipe as a guide. Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. Always taste test as you go.
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Leave a Reply
Jean says:January 17, 2014 at 6:51 am
Love the results of your multiple love affairs.
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- Andrea says:
January 20, 2014 at 1:07 am
Haha! Thank you 🙂
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- DessertForTwo says:
January 17, 2014 at 12:40 pm
This is the perfect way to use up my enormous drawer full of carrots! Since we just moved to the city, I have an international market right down the road. We do miss the country, but hey, the convenience can’t be beat! If you ever need any hard-to-find spices, let me know, and I”d be happy to mail you some! 🙂
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- Andrea says:
January 20, 2014 at 1:08 am
I’ll keep you in mind when I’m on the hung for exotic spices. Thanks friend 🙂
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- cheri says:
January 17, 2014 at 12:49 pm
Harissa is something that I have been wanting to try. I should probably just break down and order it. This hummus recipe sounds incredible!
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- Andrea says:
January 20, 2014 at 1:08 am
Do it! I love this spice SO much.
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- Erica {Coffee & Quinoa} says:
January 17, 2014 at 4:44 pm
Hooray for carrot dips this week! Great minds think alike 🙂 I’ve never used harissa either, and it sounds like something worth trying! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂 Have a great weekend!
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January 17, 2014 at 5:56 pm
I’ve never heard of Harissa before but if it makes the best hummus you’ve ever had then I know it must be something amazing! I’ll have to keep an eye out for it!
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- Yead says:
January 18, 2014 at 10:14 am
Wow……. looking so good. I love this. Carrot is very delicious food.
- Julia says:
January 18, 2014 at 2:23 pm
Thank you, THANK YOU for explaining to me what harissa is! Every time I’ve seen a recipe calling for it, I’ve assumed it’s some sort of magical paste, like tahini. Now I’m educated and I must try it! LOVE moroccan spices and love me some hummus! I’ll trade you lasagna roll-ups for some o’ this!
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- Monet says:
January 18, 2014 at 6:40 pm
You are always inspiring me to think outside of the box. Your blog is such a breath of fresh air. Thank you for sharing this lovely hummus. We just had a Moroccan meal the other night and this hummus would have been the perfect addition.
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- Andrea says:
January 20, 2014 at 1:09 am
Thank you for such a sweet comment!
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- Letty Flatt says:
January 25, 2014 at 5:51 pm
Great recipe yes! And.. this is the first anything that I have seen in 10 days that even hints that all of us are not Super Bowl people. 😉
I have harrisa powder that I ordered from World Spice Merchants in Pike Place. Just mix with oil.Reply
- Andrea says:
January 25, 2014 at 9:15 pm
Yeah, we’re not Super Bowl people. But we are hummus people and I’m happy to hear you are too!
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- Laura Green says:
January 25, 2014 at 7:46 pm
Thank you for this recipe! I just made it last night with my multicolored CSA carrots–it was wonderful! I did increase the harissa quite a bit (I use a paste from a brand called Les Moulins Majhoub). It has a beautiful color and creamy/grainy texture, and tastes like a lighter version of muhammara, which I also love. I look forward to checking out more of your recipes!
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- Andrea says:
January 25, 2014 at 9:13 pm
Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. It’s hard to measure out the harissa since each brand is SO different. I always start with less and add more. Thanks for the lovely comment. I hope you enjoy more recipes here too!
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- rachel says:
February 9, 2014 at 6:31 pm
This was so good! I had some leftover chickpeas that I had made from a soup recipe the day before, and I I roasted the carrots instead of boiling them, because I love them that way, (next time I’ll include the garlic on the pan since I love that too) and it was gobbled up by my dinner guests! If anyone is interested in making harissa, it’s not hard (if you’ve made sala you can do it) and the ingredients are pretty east to find. I use this one as a template:
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-harissa-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-190188
Thanks for the deliciousness!Reply
- Andrea says:
February 12, 2014 at 5:17 am
So happy you enjoyed this! I will check out your recipe for homemade harissa! Thanks for sharing!
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- Deborah says:
March 27, 2014 at 7:50 pm
I’m in love with your blog, and your job too.
What do you think of this recipe with fresh carrots instead of cooked?Reply
- Ula says:
December 1, 2017 at 6:15 pm
I forgot to add olive oil:( is it a waste? Shall I add some now? Or leave it this way. I made a huge batch 🙁
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