Barbecued Corn and Chickpea Hummus
Barbecued Corn and Chickpea Hummus

Barbecued Corn and Chickpea Hummus

  • Prep time:

  • Cook time:

  • Total time:

  • Portion/Yield:

    Serves 6 as a starter

  • Difficulty:

    Easy

I love a good hummus. I see chickpeas blended with tahini and all the other ingredients that make up the ‘formula’ of a hummus as a fantastic canvas to which other ingredients, such as barbecued corn, blanched asparagus, roasted beetroot, grilled peppers and many more, can be added to create a delicious dip. Made with canned chickpeas, a great storecupboard ingredient, this recipe is quick and easy to prepare too.

This hummus can be served as a dip with pitta breads or breadsticks, or it can form the basis for a salad. Served as a dip, it makes a great recipe to serve at a barbecue or drinks party.

We love corn on the cob and when it’s in season, Mr P and I enjoy it prepared in many different ways. We are having a great summer so far this year and our barbecue is ready and on standby at all times, so we have been enjoying all sorts of different things cooked on the barbecue, especially vegetables, including carrots, beetroot, potatoes and corn on the cob. It’s an ongoing experiment and we’re loving every minute of it!

For this recipe, the corn cobs are seasoned with oil and aromatics, then wrapped in foil to almost create a mini oven for the corn to cook in. The foil parcel creates steam, which prevents the kernels from drying out and helps to cook the corn evenly, while still allowing enough heat through to create that authentic barbecued flavour.photo of Barbecued Corn and Chickpea Hummusphoto of Barbecued Corn and Chickpea Hummusphoto of Barbecued Corn and Chickpea Hummus

Ingredients & Method

For the barbecued corn on the cob

  • 2 corn on the cobs (once cooked, they should yield about 180–200g cooked corn kernels)
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 clove garlic, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For the hummus

  • 250g (drained weight) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 150g barbecued corn kernels (from the barbecued corn above)
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • a pinch of ground cumin
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons cold water

To serve

  • olive oil (see Cook’s Note)
  • leftover barbecued corn kernels (from above)
  • a pinch of ground cumin

Preheat the barbecue to medium-hot.

Prepare the corn cobs for the barbecue. Remove the husks, place the cobs on a large piece of foil, season with salt and pepper, then add the thyme, garlic slices and oil. Wrap the cobs in the foil to create a sealed parcel, place over a medium-hot barbecue and cook for about 35–40 minutes or until the corn is cooked, tender and browned in places. About halfway through the cooking time, open the foil, turn the corn cobs over, close the foil parcel again and continue cooking for the remaining time. Once cooked, remove the foil parcel from the barbecue, set it aside (still sealed) and leave to cool for about 30 minutes.

Remove the cooked cobs from the foil and, using a serrated knife, carefully remove the kernels from the cobs working from top to bottom. Discard the cob cores, but reserve the garlic slices and any juices from the parcel.

For the hummus, place all the ingredients in a blender (including the reserved barbecued garlic slices and any juices from the parcel), season to taste with salt and pepper and pulse blend until it reaches the desired texture. I like this hummus to have enough texture and not to be too smooth, but it’s up to you how coarse or smooth you like it.

Serve the hummus in bowls or on large plates, drizzle over some olive oil, then garnish with the remaining barbecued corn kernels and a sprinkling of cumin.

Cook’s Note

Use extra virgin olive oil for drizzling, if you like, so long as it’s not too strong in flavour, otherwise it will overpower the lovely, subtle flavour of the corn.