Black-Garlic Carrot Hummus

Makes about 2½ cups.

A seasonal take on a lunch- and snack-time favorite. Cooking the carrots until they’re lightly caramelized intensifies their flavor. Still, use locally farmed carrots, if possible — the more flavorful the carrots, the better!

1¾ cups carrot “coins” (cut about 8-inch thick, from about ½ pound carrots)
4 cloves black garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 can (14 or 15-ounces) chickpeas, drained but not rinsed
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
Black pepper, to taste

For garnish:
Olive oil
Nigella seeds or chile flakes

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. When the oil shim­mers add the carrots and stir them to coat with oil. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pan and stir the carrots; cover the pan again and cook for another 5 minutes, until the carrots are tender and slightly caramelized.

Add the garlic and 2 tablespoons of water to the pan; cook for about 1 minute more, until the water has evaporated. Let the carrots cool for about 5 minutes.

Put the carrots into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade; zest the lemon peel and add it, followed by the juice of half the lemon. Add the remaining ingredients (except the garnishes) and whiz until very creamy, which will take a few minutes. If the hummus seems too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water and whiz again until it’s incorporated. Taste the hummus for salt and acidity, adding more lemon juice or salt if needed.

To serve, drizzle a little olive oil over the hummus and sprinkle with nigella seeds or chili flakes (or both).

*Home-cooked chickpeas have the best flavor — and, for smooth hummus, they should be cooked until very soft. (To help that along, you can add a pinch of baking soda to the cooking water.) For this recipe use 1½ cups home-cooked chickpeas, drained but not rinsed. However, making hummus from canned chickpeas is absolutely fine.