Homemade hummus...Italian style

I love rustling up quick antipasti dishes for those moments when you fancy a little snack with your aperitivo, or friends and family pop over to join you for a glass of wine. The key to a good antipasto dish is simple, great quality produce coupled with a great wine or your favourite aperitivo.

Rather than buying pots of hummus from the supermarket why not try making your own? Everyone knows hummus is great for dipping so we thought it would be a great accompaniment to grissini or breadsticks. In particular Crosta & Mollica's black olive grissini. The texture of these combined with a smooth hummus are the perfect match.

Hummus is traditionally made with chickpeas but we thought we'd try it with one of Italy's loved ingredients, the cannellini bean! Usually found in salads or served with fish we thought we'd change it up use them to make a classic dip.

Homemade hummus, with cannellini beans

Servings: 8 people

Ingredients:

• 400g tin of cannellini beans

• 1 tsp tahini paste

• 2 tsp cumin

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 a lemon

• 1 garlic clove

Instructions:

1. Drain the cannellini beans, squeeze the lemon juice and add everything to a mixer. Add the olive oil a tbsp at a time to taste, and depending on consistency.

2. Blend until you have a smooth consistency, a few chunks will add to the texture.

3. Serve with a sprinkle of paprika or parsley.