Throw the garlic into a running food processor (see Notes for blender option). Add the chickpeas and begin processing. Add the lemon juice and tahini. (I used half of a very large yet mild homegrown lemon. For regular lemons, I’d start with half, check the flavor, and add more if needed.) If needed, add 1/4 cup bean cooking liquid or water, just enough so that the chickpeas become a smooth paste. Add the cumin, the harrisa, chipotle powder, salt, and half of the roasted red peppers. Process until smooth. Taste for spiciness and add more harrisa as needed.
Add the remaining roasted red peppers and pulse to coarsely chop.
If you want, make a topping for the hummus by combining a tablespoon of toasted pine nuts with 2-3 tablespoons of chopped pepper. Add lemon juice and chipotle pepper to taste. Drizzle the top of the hummus with a little lemon juice (and if you really want spicy, add a little of the juice from a jar of pickled jalapeños.) Mound the topping in the center. Sprinkle with sumac.
Notes
Harrisa (also spelled harissa) is a Tunisian hot pepper sauce. I buy the Ziyad brand in a local Middle Eastern grocery store. If you can’t find harrisa, feel free to use any other spicy pepper sauce you have on hand. I started with a teaspoon of sauce and kept adding until it reached the spiciness we like, probably about 2 teaspoons. I also used about 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder just to increase the smoky flavor. Play with the seasonings and adjust them to your tastes.For super-creamy hummus, use a Vitamix or other high powered blender. Start with about 1/2 cup of chickpea broth and add more if necessary.One sixth of the recipe counts as 1 point on Weight Watchers Freestyle program. Adding optional ingredients may increase the points.Nutritional Info below includes tahini but not optional toppings or salt. It also assumes the use of salted, canned chickpeas. If omitting tahini, each serving contains 116 calories and 2 grams fat.