Hummus Pasta, an instant mood-lifter!

I love hummus. I love pasta. Well, that’s not news for the readers of this blog, right?
I also love garlic and cherry tomatoes. Sometimes I wonder if I am really born in a community which abhors garlic, and if I was really lifted off someone else’s hospital bed like Mom always claimed. Yeah, the things I love to eat are not what Mom would generally make at home or dream of it. And I don’t even cook or eat meat!
The flavours, the ingredients , the cuisines. All of them. This just strengthens Mom’s case, right? Sigh.
So before I drifted off to talk about my confused origin, I was talking about the flavours I love. I was known to have the biggest sweet tooth on the dining table. Any dining table. But off late, I have discovered quite joyously that the sweet tooth was just an implication of a medical condition which required me to stock on sugars, and that I really do not enjoy desserts as much I thought I do. But yes, the love for pasta and anything Italian , well that’s not changed over time. Thankfully. For me, and for the husband who, once in a while relishes non-Indian food, pasta being one of them.
Yesterday, when I was passing by Q-Mart (In case you don’t know what it is, which means you are not a Hyderabadi, this is an overtly pish-posh grocery store where prices of everything is atleast thrice of what you would get in a regular grocery store. Slight exaggeration aside, this is not a place I go to everyday, in case you were thinking ;-) ), I got reminded that I had to buy one particular species of Dancing Bamboos to add to my Bamboo collection. But Providence has different plans for me (sigh. I’ll never stop being the drama queen, right? :-)) The minute I entered the store, I was drawn to the vegetable section. This place always stocks the freshest of the veggies and greens and I laid eyes on a fresh bunch of basil leaves, which I picked up almost immediately. And then there were a basket of cherry tomatoes there. Needless to say, I picked them too.
Once back home, I made some basil hummus and was wondering what I should make next to use the cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves whose smell was wafting appetizingly in my kitchen. Aglio Olio with spaghetti was the first thing that I thought of , its easy to make. Making this with dried basil leaves is good, but there is nothing better than this pasta with fresh basil leaves. Moreover, I can use all the garlic and basil I want, and its a house-favourite.
But then, I also wanted to use up the hummus as the sauce. I remembered reading this recipe by The Cilantropist , one of my favourite food-bloggers and decided to get inspired by it.


Hummus pasta it was, then! With generous amounts of basil thrown in. I generally add a variety of herbs to any pasta I make, but I wanted to just retain the smell, flavour and taste of Hummus and the tomatoes for this one. The thought appealed to my almost-hungry stomach so much that it started rumbling instantly! :)

Ingredients
Basil Hummus - 1 cup, slightly thinned but not pouring consistency
Whole wheat Spaghetti – a fistful
Cherry Tomatoes – 250 gms
Fresh basil leaves – a handful. Chopped.
Garlic cloves – 10-15. (You can change the quantity per your taste)
Olive oil – 2 tbsp. Just enough to roast the Hummus and Garlic
Black pepper – to taste
Salt – to taste
Olives – pitted or sliced, quantity as you desire , completely optional
Red chilli flakes – One tbsp

Instructions
Cook the pasta per the instructions on its cover.

Meanwhile, pour the oil in a pan, and char the tomatoes for about 5 mins with pepper and salt on it. Once its slightly charred, add the garlic and roast a bit. Now add the basil leaves to this and let it be roasted along with the garlic and tomatoes.
Add the hummus to this and let it be on heat for a minute. Now add the olives and pasta and toss well.
Serve hot. And tell me how you like it. :-)