Hummus

dipping a sesame cumin pita crisp into hummus

There are so many brands of hummus now (some pretty good ones too), that I've gotten really used to buying it and haven't made it from scratch in a long time. So I wanted to remind myself of how nice it is to make fresh.

One of the best things about cooking is having the ability to make something exactly how you like it. For me, that means heavy on the garlic and lemon juice in my hummus. Of course you can add all kinds of ingredients to personalize yours (roasted red peppers, olives, sundried tomatoes, chipotle peppers). Whatever humps your camel (according to urbandictionary.com, that's synonymous with "whatever floats your boat"). Seemed appropriate for hummus.

HUMMUS

(Yield: 4 cups)

4 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups cooked chickpeas* (or drained canned chickpeas), liquid reserved

2/3 cup well stirred tahini

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (or less to taste)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or more to taste)

for serving:

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted lightly

toasted pita chips

_________________________________________________________________________

1.        On a cutting board mince and mash the garlic to a paste with the salt.

2.        In a food processor purée the chickpeas with the garlic paste, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and 1/2 cup reserved bean water, scraping down the sides, until the hummus is smooth.

3.        Add more bean water, if necessary, to thin hummus to desired consistency.  Season with salt to taste.

4.        Scoop hummus into serving dish and smooth the top.  Sprinkle with pine nuts and minced parsley. Serve with toasted pita chips.

*To cook dried chickpeas:
Soak 1 cup dried chickpeas in water overnight. Drain and rinse. Put soaked beans in a saucepan with enough fresh water to cover by at least 3 inches. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour (or until cooked through). Drain beans; save bean cooking water.

slightly adapted from ‘The Best Recipes in the World’ by Mark Bittman

dried chickpeas

chickpeas starting their soak (nighty, night)

good morning soaked chickpeas

chickpeas cooking

garlic cloves

mashing the garlic and salt into a paste
(the salt helps break down the garlic)

tahini sauce

lemons

all ingredients ready to mix

hummus

.