Hummus for people who don’t like hummus

Hummus is one of those things that scares people. What is it? How do you eat it? In fact, though most of the time it’s served as a dip, it actually makes a fine side dish for a summer vegetarian-style dinner. Try it with marinated vegetables, corn on the cob, and pitas or crusty bread. It’s the kind of dinner rosé was made for. And use canned chickpeas — boiling dried chickpeas is one of the least rewarding pursuits in the annals of cooking.

Serves four, takes about 15 minutes (adapted from Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything”)

2 c canned chickpeas, drained (reserve liquid)

1/2 c sesame paste (tahini)

1/4 c olive oil plus 1 teaspoon

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 Tbsp ground cumin

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put everything except one teaspoon of olive oil in a food processor and blend. You want a fine puree. Add the reserved chickpea liquid if the mixture is too thick.

2. Taste. Adjust seasonings, garlic and lemon juice if necessary. Serve in a bowl, drizzled with the remaining olive oil and sprinkled with cumin.

ask the WINE GUY?

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN ROSÉ AND WHITE ZINFANDEL?

Rosé is made to be dry; that is, all the sugar in the grapes is converted into alcohol. White zinfandel (or white merlot) is made to be sweet. Either sugar is added during the winemaking process, or some of the sugar in the grapes isn’t converted into alcohol. Those wines will have lower alcohol content.

—JEFF SIEGEL