Have you ever spotted fresh garbanzo beans in your grocery or food shop? They’re amazing: bright and green and full of flavor, funny wrinkly little beans tucked into puffy green shells.
When I spotted fresh garbanzos at Madison’s at Findlay Market recently, they sort of asked to be cooked up and mashed with avocado for a very spring-ish version of guacamole.
This guacamole-hummus recipe (let’s call it ‘guacamus’) couldn’t be easier. Adding fresh chickpeas (you can easily substitute frozen peas or edamame, lightly cooked) to guacamole lightens this fantastic dip-cum-spread tremendously. A bit of lemon juice brightens the flavor and enhances its spring-iness.
guacamole-hummus dip recipe
(serves 4)
3/4 pound fresh chickpeas in the shell (about 1 1/4 cups shelled); see Note
1 large avocado
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Smoked paprika and good olive oil for serving
Note: If you can't find fresh chickpeas, substitute 1 1/4 cups of fresh or frozen shelled English peas or edamame.
Remove the fresh chickpeas from their shells; place them in a saucepan and cover with water; add a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil and cook the chickpeas until they're tender but not mushy, 4–5 minutes. Rinse the chickpeas under very cold water to stop the cooking. Transfer the cooked chickpeas to a bowl and use a fork or immersion blender to coarsely mash them. Add the avocado and mash to combine. Stir in lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the guacammus to a serving bowl and sprinkle liberally with smoked paprika and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with toasted pita chips or tortilla chips.
