Lima Bean Hummus Lettuce Wrap Recipe

 The Lima Bean Hummus in Dovetail's Put-Ups appetizer is a favorite. It's easy to understand why. That little southern twist of using lima beans instead of chickpeas makes it memorable and once you taste it, you're hooked. It's one of those things where you want to say, "Why didn't I think of that?!" It seems simple enough to make but the problem for most people is that they don't know how to make hummus in the first place.


As far as hummus goes, we know it tastes good, but what exactly is it? Hummus is a middle eastern dip or spread made from chickpeas. The earliest known recipe comes from 13th century Egypt.

In its most basic form the ingredients to make hummus consist of chickpeas, sesame oil, lemon and garlic. It is usually served with olive oil and a flat bread or pita.

The secret to making smooth hummus is to peel the chickpeas after cooking them. Sounds like a pain in the bones right?

Well guess what? We aren't worried about all of that because we are going to be working with lima beans!

Here's what you are going to need to make the lima bean hummus.

 Ingredients
1 cup of dried lima beans
1 Mediterranean lemon
2 garlic cloves
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper
Lettuce leaves (Bibb or Romaine)
Sriracha chili pepper sauce

Preperation
 Soak the lima beans overnight in water.

Drain the beans and then cover in pot with fresh water. Add one teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Let the lima beans cook until the are soft.

Drain the beans and then add them to a food processor along with the juice of the lemon. We are very lucky to receive Mediteranian lemons from our friend Mrs. Charlotte Hope. She grows them in her yard. However, if you can not find a Mediterranean lemon, a regular lemon will do just fine.

Puree the beans and lemon juice while drizzling olive oil. We use Georgia Olive Farms Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This is a very pleasant tasting olive oil and you can't beat that fact that it is grown and produced right here in Georgia. Let the mixture puree until it has reached a smooth consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer hummus to a bowl, cover, and let sit in refrigerator for at least one hour.

Place lettuce leaves on plate and top leaves with a heaping portion of hummus. Chef Sanneman used a pastry decorating squeeze bag to add some design as he put the hummus on the leaf. This could be the added little presentation needed when serving these at a party.

Finally top each one with a drizzle of olive oil and Sriracha chili pepper sauce, for a little extra color and just a touch of heat.

Easy, healthy, fun to serve, and most of all delicious!

Enjoy.
Roger