I love hummus! Packaged hummus always tastes a bit sour or too sweet to me. That’s because citric acid and sugar are often used in the ingredients. This Middle Eastern homemade hummus recipe tastes better than any commercially made hummus I’ve ever had. It can be scooped onto a piece of toasted pita bread, crackers and vegetable sticks. It also works well as a sandwich spread.
In a pinch: No time (or desire) to soak and cook chickpeas? Use 4 cups of canned instead.
Rinse well and drain. Follow the rest of the recipe.
Hummus
Yeild: about 3 cups
½ cup olive oil (add more oil if batch is too dry)
2-3 crushed garlic cloves
2-3 Tablespoons juice from a medium sized lemon
½ cup tahini (sesame paste)
1 ½ teaspoons salt (or to taste)
Paprika and a few sprigs of fresh parsley
Blend garlic, salt, ¼ cup olive oil in food processor until well blended.
Add chickpeas and tahini. While machine is still running, slowly pour in ¼ cup saved liquid, ¼ cup olive oil and lemon juice through the feeder tube. Blend until thick and creamy.
Pulse once or twice. Scrape down sides with spatula.
Put hummus in a bowl. Sprinkle with paprika and fresh parsley sprigs for garnish.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
1 ½ cups dried chickpeas (Garbanzo beans) soaked in a bowl covered with water for 1 ½ hours. Rinse well. Place soaked chickpeas in a pot and cover with water; add salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 60-90 minutes. Taste to see if they are soft. Drain water. Save ¼ cup cooked liquid in a bowl.Set aside. (Start early in the day. Include time for soaking and cooking).
An alternative is to use caned Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), rinsed.