Lately I have been into a Mediterranean journey through recipes that I had the pleasure of tasting while visiting friends homes as a young man. Their grandmothers would stuff us on Middle eastern cooking. I tried to pay attention so I could try my hand at making it at home. This is the first of a few of my favorite middle eastern recipes.
Hummus is made from garbanzo beans a.k.a. chickpeas. Dried chickpeas are usually soaked in water overnight then simmered for an hour or more. It is also possible to cook chickpeas in a pressure cooker without the pre-soaking. Personally I go for convenience and speed, so I use canned chickpeas instead.
The chickpeas are ground, using a food processor or hand blender, with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin, and tahini. A bit of the water in which the chickpeas were boiled may be added to reach the desired consistency.
Garnish with chopped parsley and roasted pine nuts. Serve with a good flat bread. Hummus goes well with a tabouli salad for a light appetizer course.
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup liquid from the can
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 14 -15 oz canned chickpeas rinsed and drained
- ½ cup tahini
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- Toasted Pine Nuts for garnish
- Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley for garnish
Preparation
- Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender.
- Process until smooth, scraping the sides occasionally.
- Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl.
- Garnish with roasted pine nuts and chopped parsley.
- Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the top.
- Serve with lemon wedges and lots of good pita bread.
2 comments:
Great recipe again. I started browning the garlic, because if you don't the next day it tastes a lot more garlicy.
Personally I like the strong garlic taste. though I did play with different ideas/ I did try oven roasting the garlic instead of pan browning. The flavor was muted but complex. The beauty of these recipes is the variation in flavor from family to family.
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