Black badger houmous with roast garlic and chilli
published on March 24th 2015
Lebanon meets Lancashire with sensational results. This wonderfully complex tasting houmous features not only black badger peas but black treacle too! The recipe comes courtesy of esteemed chef Nigel Haworth, a great ambassador for the traditional ingredients of Northern England.
1. Roast the garlic
Separate the garlic cloves but leave them unpeeled. Bundle them up in some foil and at an opportune moment, ideally when the oven is on for something else, roast the garlic for 45 minutes or so at around 200°C. It doesn’t matter if it’s a lower temperature, just bake the garlic until the cloves are soft and a little caramelised.
Leave them to cool a bit before peeling.
2. Boil the black badgers
Put the badgers in a saucepan and cover generously with water. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cook the peas for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until tender.
Drain the badgers and, while still warm, transfer them to a food processor.
3. Combine the flavourings
Add the hot stock, tomato juice, lemon juice, black treacle, salt, chilli flakes and roast garlic to the processor.
Whizz until the mixture is well blended and fairly smooth. With the motor still running, gradually add the olive oil, then just enough of the sunflower oil (you may not need it all) to give a dolloping consistency.
Cook’s notes
Crudités are the perfect way to enjoy this houmous, but it also spoons nicely into jacket potatoes and can work as a sauce for grilled lamb or chicken. Try it in sandwiches or on toast.
A handful or two of chopped flat-leaf parsley helps brighten up a big bowl of it when you’re serving a crowd.
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