Hummus

This one and this one are late additions to the repertoire but they are so unbelievably great that I make them frequently and have decided to add them to the collection.

The trick with hummus is to whip your tahini and lemon juice together for a good long while – it changes in color and character and this is a necessary step.

I’ve never made this with anything but canned chickpeas – I’m sure steaming or boiling your own has its own delights. I’ve also never gone to the trouble of removing chickpea skin, which I gather some dedicated hummus makers swear is necessary.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup lemon juice, strained of pulp
• 1 garlic clove, crushed and rough chopped
• 2 15-oz cans of chick peas
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 TBSP cumin
• Salt and Pepper
• A little bit of water
• Paprika for garnish

Directions:

Place the tahini and the lemon juice in your food processor and blend for 2 minutes continuously. Scrape down the sides process again for another minute straight. To my knowledge, it will not suffer from being whipped for even more time than this. It should have lightened up quite a bit, turning almost white, and should have the texture of a fine paste.

While the food processor is still on, add the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin. Continue to blend.

Pour one can of chickpeas into a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly. Shake them off, stop the food processor and remove the lid, then add the chickpeas. Start blending again, this time for 1-2 minutes. While that’s happening, drain and rinse off your second can. After 1-2 minutes, stop and add the second can, then turn on again and go for another 1-2 minutes. At that point, while still blending, add water in a thin stream until it has the consistency you like. I like mine pretty thick.

To serve this, you can either shovel great spoonfuls into your mouth straight out of the bowl of the food processor, which I’m not saying I do, or schmear on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with paprika. Boom.