Smoky Eggplant Hummus with Roasted Cauliflower Tapenade

Recipe courtesy of Colby Newman, Executive Chef, Amarillo (Texas) Country Club.

For Hummus

The night before, put the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with cold water at least twice their volume. Leave to soak overnight.
The next day, drain the chickpeas. Place the medium saucepan over high heat and add the drained chickpeas and baking soda. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cook, skimming off any foam and any skins that float to the surface. The chickpeas will need to cook between 20 and 40 minutes, depending on the type and freshness, sometimes even longer. Once done they should be very tender, breaking up easily when pressed between your thumba and finger, almost but not quite mushy.
Drain the chickpeas. You should have roughly 3 2/3 cups now. Place the chickpeas in a food processor and process until you get a stiff paste. Then, with the machine still running, add the tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic and 1.5 tsps. salt. Finally, slowly drizzle in the iced water and allow it to mix for about 5 minutes, until you get a very smooth creamy paste.
Transfer the hummus to a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

For Smoky Egglplant Puree

Pierce eggplant all over with a fork. Using a gas stove, turn the burner to medium heat and place the eggplant directly overthe flame. Roast, turning the eggplant occasionally so that it blackens all around, until it is very soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel away the charred skin and lightly chop the eggplant flesh. Placce it in a food processor and add the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, and kosher salt to taste. Puree until smooth.

For Cauliflower Tepenade

Set your oven to 350°F. Toss the cauliflower with salt and pepper and olive oil. Roast in oven until lightly brown but slight crunch. Pull from oven and let cool.
In a large mixing bowl add the cauliflower, artichoke hearts, garlic, preserved lemons, olive oil and parsley. Mix well adjusting the seasoning if needed.

To Plate

In a large bowl mix the cold hummus with the smoky eggplant puree adjusting seasoning as needed.
In a serving platter, place the hummus/eggplant mixture topping with the cauliflower tapenade, spreading the tapenade evenly. Garnish with the fresh basil, lemon zest, feta cheese and pomegranate seeds. If desired drizzle additional olive oil over the top. Enjoy!