Here is my version of hummus that I have adapted from several different recipes that I have come across. Feel free to adjust the amount of tahini or garlic to get the flavor you desire. This hummus is great with pita bread, tortillas or any other nice flatbread- or even tortilla chips! I prefer to cook my chickpeas from scratch rather than using canned beans, however, you can use canned beans.
1 cup dried chickpeas
Soak the beans overnight in a lot of water. Just before you are ready to cook them, drain and rinse them well.
1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper
4 cups water, chicken broth or vegetable broth (plus a couple of cups extra)
Heat the oil in a heavy pot and sauté the onion until it begins to soften. Add the soaked chickpeas, the broth or water and season with the salt and pepper. Bring them to a gentle boil, cover loosely and cook them until the beans and tender. This may take up to a couple of hours. Keep an eye on the water level in the pot and if it begins to get too low, add another cup of water or broth and bring it back up to temperature. When the chickpeas are soft (they will mash easily and still have a bit of a mealy texture), drain them and reserve about 2 cups of the cooking liquid.
This should make approximately the same amount as a 15 ounce can of chickpeas.
1 batch of cooked chickpeas (as described above) plus 1-2 cups of the cooking liquid or a 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained with the liquid reserved.
1/2 cup of tahini
2 or more cloves of garlic, crushed (i usually add 5 or 6, but I like a lot of garlic in my hummus)
3 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 lemon, freshly-squeezed
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon paprika for garnish
chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Place the chickpeas in a food processor and process into a coarse paste. Stir in the tahini with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water (or the reserved cooking liquid) and add it to the food processor along with the garlic. Process to mix. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and lemon juice and process to a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper and taste as you mix to check the level of tahini or garlic. Feel free to add more of either ingredient. If the hummus is too thick, add a tablespoon of the reserved cooking liquid and process. Keep adding liquid, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you are looking for.
Transfer to a dish and garnish with some sprinkled paprika, parsley and maybe a swirl of nice extra virgin olive oil.
Serve with flatbread, chips, or vegetables.
Deltavore 