Asiago Baked Hummus with Caramelized Onions, Black Garlic & Rosemary for the Better Homes and Gardens Recipe Insiders Group

When a batch of recipes for the Better Homes and Gardens Recipe Insiders Group showed up in my inbox recently, this baked hummus number piqued my curiosity. While I have had warm hummus on wraps or in sandwiches, I've never had it baked - and with cheese! I like those words: "with cheese." Don't you?

That said, I did feel compelled to Trixify this just a pinch. The original called for both olive oil and sesame oil, but I subbed tahini for the sesame oil fearing that it would feel too ... um, oily ... otherwise. The BHG recipe also wanted just one measly garlic clove, and as you may imagine I quadrupled it. Instead of water I used the liquid from the chick pea can. Finally, I wanted to up the acid, so I added both lemon juice and 2 whole heads of black garlic, which lends a subtle sweetness to the overall dish.

As I know from several months of working in a Middle Eastern(ish) cafe, making hummus is not rocket science. And while a restaurant needs to have a recipe that's set in stone in order to maintain consistency, those of us at home are free to taste and tweak as we go until it's perfect. That's what I did here, so please keep in mind that the amounts are up for interpretation by your taste buds.

Baked Asiago Hummus with Caramelized Onions, Black Garlic, and Rosemary

adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of sugar

2 15 ounce cans chick peas, rinsed and patted dry

3-4 tablespoons liquid from a can of chickpeas

1 tablespoon tahini, plus more as needed

4-5 cloves garlic

2 heads black garlic

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

juice of half a lemon

1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese, plus extra for topping

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed

salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, cook the onions in the butter and olive oil over low heat. Sprinkle with the salt and sugar, and stir occasionally until caramelized - 20 - 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 450 F. In a food processor, combine the chick peas, liquid, tahini, garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, and cheese. While whizzing, drizzle in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and adjust for flavor. Divide the mixture into 6 ramekins (or you could use a small casserole). Top with the onions and more grated Asiago and bake until brown and bubbly. 

The BHG recipe suggests serving with baguette slices and carrots, but instead of having this as an appetizer I made homemade pita, tzatziki, and falafel (the falafel was from a box mix, I cannot tell a lie) and made dinner out of it. I did find that the hummus tasted best once it had cooled slightly. 

Easy peasy. And a perverse part of me really likes taking something healthy and low calorie like hummus and adding cheese to it! Oh well. Just eat less of it, you'll be fine.