Spring Onion Hommus – Waste Not, Want Not

You say hummus, I say hommus. You say spring onion and I say shallot… either way, we should definitely not call the whole thing off. This extremely easy recipe for Spring Onion Hommus was borne of a desire to make use of the leftover green tops from a bunch of spring onions. I often roughly chop and freeze them for use when I’m making home made stock but wanted to do something different. I thought ‘Why not give it a go?’ And what do you know? It tastes great.

Whilst hommus has its origins in the Middle East, for many years, much of the world eyed it with suspicion. It was once considered something that hippies and green earthers ate as they wove macrame wall hangings and sprouted lentils. Over time though, as cheap air travel, package holidays and TV cooks became the norm, hommus moved from weird foreign food to lunchbox staple. The very fact that I don’t need to explain what hommus is, speaks volumes about its ‘everyday’ status. 

Hommus by any other name

Oh OK, I will tell you a little bit about hommus. In much of the world, we equate hommus with a dip or spread made of tahini and chickpeas and indeed, this is the most common variety. In the Levantine countries though, where hommus has its roots, it is made with any number of dried beans and pulses that are part of daily life. There’s also an amazing array of flavours and add ins that create enormous variety in this humble dish. In NYC, we visited a specialist hummus restaurant in the East Village with dozens of varieties. Yes, hommus restaurants are a thing in NYC.

You can of course use the whole or just the white part of the spring onion but it ‘s the green tops that are usually left over. Rather than throwing them in the compost, put them to good use. You can also soak and cook your own chickpeas but I find that good quality chickpeas such as the Italian Annalisa brand taste just as good and means you can whip up this Spring Onion Hommus in a few minutes. So, don’t throw those spring onion tops!

Spring Onion Hommus

Ingredients

• 400g cooked chickpeas (1 tin)
• 1 x bunch green spring onion tops, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tspn salt
• cracked black pepper to taste

Method

1. Drain chickpeas and place them in to a food processor with all other ingredients.
2. Process all ingredients to form a smooth paste. A few tiny chunks of chickpea or shreds of spring onion are fine as this provides some texture.
3. Taste the Spring Onion Hommus for seasoning and flavour balance. I like mine a little sharper and often add a little more lemon juice. If you prefer your hommus nuttier, add some more tahini.
4. Place Spring Onion Hommus into a bowl and serve with these homemade Leftover Sourdough Starter Crackers.

Notes

• You need a sturdy biscuit or vegetable crudite for this thick dip. Carrot sticks, green beans or lavash crackers are all good options.
• Spread Spring Onion Hommus on kebabs and wraps. Scoop scooped into lettuce cups, top with crunchy pickles and roll sushi style.
• Other add ins to the basic hommus recipe include grilled capsicum, baked carrot and cummin seeds, cooked beetroot or even cooked spinach and onion.