Slow-Cooker Heirloom Carrot Hummus with Za’atar Pita Chips
If you like the creamy texture of hummus, you’ll love this earthy-sweet version made entirely of carrots, without a chickpea in sight. For a bright orange hummus, use orange and red carrots; white and purple carrots will result in a different color. If ordinary orange carrots are the only ones available to you, they work fine, too.
Ingredients
For the hummus:
- 1 3/4 to 2 lb. (875 g to 1 kg) heirloom carrots
- 3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 tsp. firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) tahini paste
- Sweet paprika for garnish
For the za’atar pita chips:
- 1/4 cup (3/4 oz./20 g) za’atar
- 7 Tbs. (3 1/2 fl. oz./105 ml) olive oil
- 2 pita breads, each about 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter
- Kosher salt
Directions
To make the hummus, peel the carrots and cut them into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces; you should have about 1 1/2 lb. (750 g). Put the carrots in a slow cooker.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, brown sugar, cumin, coriander and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Pour the mixture over the carrots and stir to coat evenly. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. The carrots should be very tender.
Meanwhile, make the pita chips. Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C).
In a small bowl, stir together the za’atar and olive oil. Using a sharp paring knife, carefully split each pita open around the edge to create 4 separate rounds. Using a pastry brush, spread the za’atar oil evenly over the rough side of each pita round. Cut each round into 8 wedges (for a total of 32 chips) and arrange the wedges, brushed side up, in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the wedges with a little salt.
Bake the pita wedges until golden brown and crispy, about 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. (The chips can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.)
When the carrot mixture is ready, transfer to a food processor, add the tahini and process until very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula once or twice. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water, 1 Tbs. at a time, until the consistency is more fluid. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice if needed. You should have about 2 cups (450 g). (The hummus will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.) Transfer to a serving bowl and let cool.
Drizzle the hummus with a little oil and sprinkle with paprika, then serve with the pita chips alongside. Serves 8 to 10.
Adapted from Williams Sonoma Everyday Slow Cooking (Weldon Owen 2018)
