Hummus Recipe (updated!)
Okay, so, this is the recipe that I obtained from the infamous Jim Nicholson in a game of sabacc. Or maybe he was just drunk. Or just feeling charitable. It was this or the Millennium Falcon. I chose wisely.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb dried chickpeas (You can use canned, but I like the way starting from dried does. Use two cans of chickpeas to equal 1/2 lb dried.)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (it must be olive and it must be extra virgin. Don’t play around here.)
- 3 tablespoons sesame tahini (some people say you can use peanut butter instead…if you try this, I’d go with a ‘raw’ peanut butter…but I haven’t tried it. YMMV.)
- Lemon juice equivalent to two lemons’ worth.
- 3-4 cloves of garlic.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (Less if you’re using canned chick peas.)
- 2 tablespoons cumin (Or more.)
- 1 teaspoon paprika (Optional.)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (Optional.)
The Process
- Soak the dried chickpeas overnight in fresh water, covering with about an inch of water.
- Pour off the water and cover them with fresh water in a suitably sized pot. Bring them to a boil on the stove and then turn the heat down and simmer until soft (you should be able to squish one between your fingers.)
- If you’re using canned chickpeas, you don’t need to soak or cook them (No, really?)
- Pour off the water from the boiled chickpeas (or the canned ones). DO NOT DISCARD…set it aside.
- Put the chickpeas into the food processor. Add the tahini, the olive oil, the lemon juice, the garlic, the spices and about a cup of the chick-pea water that you’ve reserved.
- Blend that sucker. You’ll probably have to let it go for a few minutes to get it all nice and smooth.
- Test it. If the consistency is too thick for your liking, add a little more of the chickpea water (1/4 cup at a time) and blend it some more. You might also need to add a little more salt at this point, to your own tastes.
Okay, you’re done! Get a spatula and scrape it out of the food processor and into some kind of attractive serving bowl. If you so desire, drizzle some more olive oil over the top. Get some naans or pita or chips or crackers or something. Invite your favorite white people over and enjoy!
