Hurrah for Hummus
The other week, I mentioned in my Jan. 14 column that I had made some hummus.
Some readers asked for the recipe, so here it is.
I printed it this in a 2007 story I wrote about hummus.
Removing the skins is a tedious business, but if you have the time and the patience, I think the results are worth it.
Enjoy.
Hummus
Recipe adapted from The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean by Paula Wolfert.
1 cup dried chickpeas
1 small onion, peeled
1/4 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
Ground cumin, hot paprika or red pepper
1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in water to cover.
2. Drain, rinse and cover with fresh water. Add the onion and gently simmer until the chickpeas are very soft, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
3. Drain reserving, 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Discard the onion. If desired, set aside 1/4 cup chickpeas for garnish. (See Note.)
4. Stir the tahini in the jar until well blended. Place 1/4 cup tahini in blender jar or the bowl of a food processor. Add garlic and lemon juice and process until the mixture lightens. With the machine running, add the reserved cooking liquid. Add 1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas and process until well blended. Correct the seasoning with salt and lemon juice as needed. Allow dip to rest to blend the flavors for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature.
5. To serve, spread in a shallow serving dish. Use the back of a spoon to make a shallow well in the center. Drizzle olive oil in the well and sprinkle humus with cumin, hot paprika or red pepper. Garnish with reserved 1/4 cup chickpeas if desired.
Note: To make a lighter hummus, Wolfert suggests removing and discarding the skins of the chickpeas before pureeing them. This can be done by pressing the cooked and drained chickpeas through a food mill or shallow sieve, or tamis. The job can be done with a regular sieve, but it will be more difficult to press the chickpeas through. Also, rolling and lightly rubbing the cooked chickpeas between your hands or in a clean kitchen towel will make skins come off.
Makes 2 1/2 cups.
