Real-Deal Hummus

Thursday, September 24, 2015

This is not hummus that you scoop out of a tub you bought at the grocery store.  This is the hummus you get at your favorite Mediterranean restaurant.  It is infinitely tasty, so just try not to shovel it into your mouth by the spoonful, okay?  Lets try to keep some semblance of decorum here. :)

My litmus test of a good recipe is if I can get Aaron to eat something he typically isn't into.  In his defense, he is not a picky eater by any stretch.  He eats things I wouldn't even dream of, like chicken livers, sardines and tongues of things(blech!).  He is however, a very snobby eater.  If food is sub-par in any form he will turn his nose up at it.  He also claims to hate certain things, yet eats them when set it front of him?  I could write a book..  Anyway.  He claims that he isn't into hummus.  He LOVED this hummus.  I did too, but I love any and all hummus and am not a food snob in the slightest.

In the past when I attempted to make hummus, I just tossed a can of chickpeas, some tahini which I just eyeballed the amount, some salt, then I would just randomly add things to try and get the taste or consistency right.  Maybe some onion would help?  I think more salt.  No maybe more lemon.  Then I'd have about a gallon of mush that I didn't really want to eat.  I have to laugh at my former ways of trying to figure out cooking.  I am so not a natural at this.  Again with this recipe, the process is a large part of what makes this recipe outstanding, and not the ingredients alone.

This hummus is pretty easy to whip up and not even in the same ballpark as the premade stuff.  I halved the recipe and it was more than two people should have eaten, and we didn't even finish it all, so I am posting the recipe cut in half.

You will need:

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Boiling water
1/3 cup of tahini (check the sidebar, I found amazon was much cheaper than my grocery store!)
juice and zest from 1/2 a lemon
1 clove of garlic
1 TSP Kosher salt
1/4 cup ice water
extra virgin olive oil

For the garnish:
1/2 TSP pine nuts, toasted (optional)
sprinkles of paprika
sprinkles of cumin

When you have your chickpeas rinsed and drained, set a few aside for the garnish at the end.  Add the chickpeas to a bowl that can handle high heat.  Put a kettle of water on to boil, and once water is up to a boil, pour over chickpeas until they are completely covered by a couple inches.  Let these chickpeas sit in the hot water for 15 minutes.  Soaking the chickpeas will soften them up very nicely so that they will puree into a smooth and fluffy hummus.  

Once 15 minutes is up, drain the chickpeas and pour them into your food processor.  Whiz the chickpeas for about 5 minutes by themselves.  They should be pretty smooth before you add more ingredients.

Next in with the tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and garlic.  Mix for about a minute, making sure the garlic gets incorporated very well.  No one wants to bite into a hidden chunk of garlic!  Now while the processor is going, pour the ice water through the top and then let it whiz for 5 minutes.  You are going to want to set a timer because it seems like a super long time.  I was a little worried the motor on my processor was going to burn up, but it made it though just fine.  Taste for seasonings and add more tahini, salt or lemon to get the flavor you desire.

You are now ready to serve!  Aarti's suggestion for serving real deal hummus is to scoop the contents of the food processor onto a plate, and with the back of a spoon smooth it in a circular motion to make lovely hills and valleys in your dip.  I could have gone a little more extreme with mine, the picture in the cookbook is much better looking! Make a well in the center (not too deep) and drizzle with the olive oil, then top with your reserved chickpeas and pine nuts.  In any artful fashion you wish, sprinkle with a light dusting of paprika and cumin.  I opted for the pizza slice design, I made an X across with one, then another X between with the other.  I though it turned out pretty nice?  

This hummus is warm and nutty with a hint of the bright lemon.  So so good, I don't know if I can ever go with the store brand again.  If you follow the basic recipe, I can't imagine it would be too difficult to throw different things in for different flavors.  I for one am a fan of the red pepper hummus.  I shall report back with my findings.  But here you have it, a delicious hummus that is certainly the real deal.  



8 comments:

  1. Wow! I didn't realize how easy this was! I am going to try this. Awesome post :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. great basic recipe I love dressing up my hummus with stuff like roasted beets, and other vegetables great colours and so much flavour

    ReplyDelete
  3. thanks for introducing this new method with boiling water. i have heard peeling skin helps but i have no patience for that.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yum. I just finished dinner and I want to eat this. There is nothing like homemade hummus. And it's so easy to make that there is no excuse (except I'm lazy and all too often opt for Trader Joes version).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Do not ever get me in a room with hummus. I will face plant into it, like a classy lady would do! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love hummus! We make it in the Vitamix and it always turns out so creamy....your recipe has a few extra ingredients though that I'm going to have to try next time! Looks delicious!

    -Kelsie
    Design Life Diaries 

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh man, I have to try this. I'm obsessed with hummus!

    - Nicole @ Violet & Vine

    ReplyDelete

 
TEMPLATE DESIGN BY DESIGNER BLOGS