Red Pepper Hummus

In the bowl of a food processor place the garbanzo beans, the garlic, chipotle pepper, tahini, and lemon juice. Process until smooth. Add the red peppers and olive oil and pulse until the peppers are chopped fine. Season with salt and pepper and serve with pita and vegetables for dipping.

How to roast your own red peppers: First wash the peppers (however many you want) and make sure any stickers are removed. Turn the burners of a gas range on high and place the peppers directly onto the grates. Using tongs, turn the peppers so they get evenly charred. The peppers may hiss and bubble; it’s just the water from the peppers evaporating.

As soon as the peppers are blackened all over, place them in a bowl and cover the bowl with a plate or with plastic wrap. The peppers will steam making it easier to peel. Do not peek or let the steam out.

While the peppers cool, set up your cutting board. Once cool, take your first pepper, and with a sharp paring knife, make a slit down the length of the pepper cutting through only the top skin. Cut the flesh away from around the stem, discard the stem and seed knob and open up the rest of the pepper like a look. Scrape the seeds from the inside of the pepper.

Turn the pepper over and scrape the knife against the skin of the pepper, scraping off all of the charred skin. Wipe off the knife. Slice the pepper into strips and place in the bowl. Never wash the peppers or you will lose some of the taste you’ve worked so hard to develop. When finished with the peppers, if you made extra, you can cover them in olive oil, adding some sliced garlic, if desired, and store in the refrigerator for one to two weeks.