U Can Make Your Hummus & Eat it 2

For some reason, I've been in hummus conversations with several different groups of people lately... and have strongly encouraged them to try making their own.  It is so easy and oh so much better.  So, for all of my friends who have asked... here's our version:

One Family's Hummus

(a relatively authentic American wife’s version of her Lebanese husband’s recipe)

You’ll need:

1 can of chick peas/garbanzos (look by the canned beans)

3 TBSP tahini (sesame seed paste—ethnic aisle)

3 garlic cloves

2-3 lemons

salt to taste

¼ tsp. cumin (optional)

Olive Oil

Paprika

Garnish (chopped tomatoes, roasted red pepper, olives, scallions, some colorful thing)

So… dump your beans in a pot and bring to a boil for 4-5 minutes (watch to make sure it doesn’t run out of liquid and burn)… this softens the beans, so your texture of the hummus will be smoother.  Once they are softened, I strain them and dump the peas into my trusty food processor along with 3 minced garlic cloves, 3 TBSP tahini (always stir the tahini first, as it separates, much like natural peanut butter), a teaspoon of salt, cumin (if you have it and want to) and the juice of one lemon (to start with)…

Tahini

Garlic... gotta love the garlic press!

 Process that well for a minute.  Check on the texture… if it looks super thick, add more fresh lemon juice a little at a time and process in between, checking on the texture.(the bottled lemon juice doesn’t do it justice, please don’t hurt the hummus with this unless in a seriously desperate bind). 

Fresh Lemon

Once it’s your desired texture, do the taste test… add a pinch of salt, if necessary (being careful not to over salt)… Then use your rubber scraper to scrape it out onto a large plate or round platter (if you made more)…

smooth it out and make a little trench in the circle or oval, leaving a small circle in the center.  Now you take your extra virgin olive oil (my personal favorite is Bertolli’s) and drizzle in your trench… take the paprika and sprinkle over the top (lightly for some gorgeous color)… then feel free to garnish with any of the above brightly colored veggies.

Hummus is terrific with raw veggies, pretzels, pita bread, pita chips, rolled up in a wrap with turkey… the sky is the limit and it’s GREAT for you!

Enjoy and let me know what you think… Tweak it anyway you like… if you like more of the tahini taste, add a little more… if you like it more garlic-y, add a little more.  There is NO wrong way to make this hummus… it’s all about what you prefer.

So there you go... now you know how easy it is to make your hummus and eat it, too... I promise it won't last long!