A Double - Duty Dip For Potluck Season
 | Author:
Jon Bennion, Montana Free Press
Jon Bennion, Montana Free Press |
A double-duty dip for potluck season.
Meet ‘guachummus,’ a west-meets-east invention ideal as an appetizer or side.
This article by Jon Bennion was originally published in the Montana Free Press on July 14, 2025. It is republished here courtesy of the Montana Free Press.
https://montanafreepress.org/2025/07/14/a-double-duty-dip-for-potluck-season/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newspack%20Newsletter%20%28249428%29&utm_source=2
You have likely already been invited to a few backyard barbecues or picnics with friends or family this summer. You may have even hosted one. With any luck, Montana’s weather will continue to encourage more neighborly gatherings involving food.
As soon as that “you’re invited” text hits your phone, the big question becomes what you should bring. The main courses are often taken care of, leaving you with apps, drinks, sides and dessert. This week’s west-meets-east guacamole-hummus dish lets you check both the app and side boxes.
A year and a half ago I offered up a recipe for the ultimate scratch-made hummus, designed for optimal creaminess and overall deliciousness. My hummus starts off with dried chickpeas (we grow plenty of them in Montana), and I use a fun process to remove the chickpea skins. Many people don’t know how to do this and resort to canned chickpeas for convenience. Please don’t. You’ll be sacrificing a satisfyingly smooth result.
That traditional hummus recipe diverges from this one, which leans into ingredients and flavors from Mexico and the southwestern United States. We’re subbing in roasted garlic for regular and using lime instead of lemon. Tahini is replaced with the natural fat of avocado. Green chiles emerge as a foundational flavor. We’re aiming for the texture and consistency of a Middle Eastern hummus with a pan-American pivot. It’s a delicious, nutritious, protein-packed offering that will please many palates.
Picking out the right avocado can be tricky. You’ll know they’re ripe if they aren’t rock hard, and they aren’t squishy. They should have a very subtle give when squeezed. Oftentimes avocados in the grocery store bin are all too hard. Fret not. Just buy a few and seal them in a brown paper bag. They’ll ripen over a day or two. Alternately, if you have a ripe avocado and you want to slow the ripening process, stick it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Because avocado flesh oxidizes when exposed to air, transforming their earthy green to unappetizing brown, I advise you to serve the dip within an hour or two of making it.
You have two options for the green chiles. Hatch chiles from New Mexico offer a complex flavor with various spice levels. If you want them fresh, their season is generally from late July into part of September. I’ve ordered them fresh from New Mexico the last three summers, but I’ve also come across them at some Montana grocery stores during late summer. Ask your friendly produce person if they expect to carry them in 2025.
The more commonly available fresh option in Big Sky Country is Anaheim peppers. They are long, lighter green, and generally run much milder on the spice front. I love the flavor of Hatch chiles, but Anaheims work perfectly fine as well.
Given that the flavors of this dip lean toward guacamole, tortilla chips are the perfect pairing. It can also play well in a wrap, with a tray of fresh or grilled veggies, or as a dip for grilled shrimp. Sliced radishes and toasted pumpkin seeds are my favorite toppings to bring some extra texture to this otherwise silky dish.
GUACHUMMUS RECIPE
1 cup dried chickpeas
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 large ripe avocado (about 8-10 ounces)
3 cloves garlic (skin on)
cilantro
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 Hatch or Anaheim chiles
1 lime
pumpkin seeds or sliced radishes, for topping
Let your chickpeas soak overnight in plenty of water. The next day they’ll be close to triple in size. Drain the water and put the chickpeas in a large saucepan on high heat with the baking soda. Cook them for a few minutes on medium heat, stirring continuously. Add 8-10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to a simmer. The chickpeas will need to simmer for approximately 25 minutes with intermittent stirring.
Skim off the foam and peels that float to the top. After 25 minutes, check to see if the chickpeas are done. They should be very soft to the bite, but they should not be mushy.
Using the saucepan lid, drain the hot water out of the saucepan. Refill it with cold water, stirring the chickpeas vigorously as the pan fills. This will bring more peels to the top. Tip the pan gradually to drain the water and let the peels run off into your sink. The chickpeas should stay at the bottom of the pan. Repeat this process several times (fill, stir, pour off) until you see very few peels coming off. Once you’ve reached this point, drain all the water off and move the chickpeas into a food processor.
Preheat your oven to broil with the top rack 6-8 inches from the broiler. Line a baking tray with foil and place your skins-on garlic and green chiles on the tray. Broil for 2-3 minutes at a time without walking away from the oven (or I guarantee you will scorch them). The garlic will need to be turned before the chiles. You’re looking for some good brown color around the garlic, which will likely need to come off the tray before the chiles.
The green chiles should have some dark browning all around their skins without turning absolutely black. Once those are done, remove from the oven and place in a closed brown paper bag or in a mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap to allow the chiles to steam. After 15 minutes, you should be able to easily peel the skins from the chiles. Open up the chiles and remove the seeds and stems.
Remove the peels from the garlic and add it to the food processor with the cooked chickpeas, green chiles, cumin, salt, and 10-15 sprigs of cilantro. Run the food processor for a minute until the contents become a paste.
Now peel your avocado and remove the seed. Roughly chop the avocado and add it to the food processor. Run the processor again for about a minute, letting the ingredients incorporate. Make sure to scrape the sides of the food processor with a spatula to allow all ingredients to reach the same consistency. Using the processor port at the top, slowly stream in ice water, one tablespoon at a time, to achieve a smooth consistency. Don’t rush this water process, and don’t add too much liquid. (You can always add, but you can’t take away!) I often let the machine run for a full two minutes at the end to ensure maximum creaminess. Taste for seasoning levels and adjust to your preference with lime, salt and cumin.
Top as you please with sliced radishes, toasted and salted pumpkin seeds, more lime juice, chopped cilantro, and/or a bit more cumin. Serve with fresh or grilled veggies, tortilla chips, in a wrap, or with grilled shrimp.
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PhotoCredit: Jon Bennion
Image 1 Caption: guachummus
