Hummus Among Us

I would like to start off by saying I love hummus.  Hummus of all shapes, sizes and types.  I don’t discriminate.

However, I wanted to show you a different way to make hummus.  Instead of using canned chickpeas, try boiling some dried chickpeas.  You won’t have to worry about added sodium when using dried beans and it is also cheaper.

But there is a catch.

After the beans are cooked, you have to peel the chickpeas.   This can be time consuming as you have to peel each bean.  But, by removing the outside of the chickpea, you get a much smoother, velvety texture with the finished hummus.  It will take you about 30 minutes.

I believe there are work intensive recipes that are worth slaving over and other work intensive recipes that just aren’t worthy of my time.  I am not getting any younger.

This is one of those recipes that I believe is worth the work if you have some extra time.

I know I am crazy, but I just like making hummus this way.  I started this habit in Kingsville.  I am addicted to this method and make hummus often.

You know when you consume something so much, your taste buds kind of get immune to the taste and you don’t like it anymore?  Am I making this up?  I swear this happened with Diet Dr. Pepper.  I probably drank 1000 cases of the stuff from grad school up until a year into our marriage.  Now I can’t look at a can of DDP.

Anyway, hummus isn’t like that.

I can eat hummus until the cows come home and because there are so many ways to switch it up, I never get bored.

This is a simple “original” hummus recipe if you will.  And is a great canvas for you to tweak, based on your preferences or add based on your whims.  I love this hummus just like it is, because it is so flavorful, but sometimes I like to throw in extras.  I hope to share more versions with you soon!

Hummus Recipe

* I adapted this recipe from Kitchen Sense, an awesome cookbook by Mitchell Davis

Ingredients:

1 cup dried garbanzo beans

1 bay leaf

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1/4 cup tahini or sesame butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon Mediterranean seasoning

1/4 cup liquid from pot of beans

4 tablespoons lemon juice (juice from 2 small lemons, but depends on the juiciness of the lemons)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1.  Place dried garbanzo beans in a large bowl.  Add enough water to the bowl to cover beans by 2 inches.  Let beans soak for 8-12 hours or overnight.

2.  Drain and rinse the beans and add to a large stockpot.  Add enough water to cover the beans by 1 inch and add 1 bay leaf.  Bring pot of beans to a rolling boil and generously salt.  Turn heat down to medium and loosely cover pot with lid.  Simmer for 45 minutes or until beans are soft.

3.  Remove beans from heat and set aside until cool.  After cooled, the beans can be stored in the cooking liquid for up until 3 days in the refrigerator (before being peeled).

4.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, remove the bay leaf and drain the beans.  Peel the garbanzo beans.  Gently, pinch the bean at one end in between the thumb and index finger.  The outer shell will peel off and the bean will pop out.  This will be easier if the beans are fully cooked through.

5.  After peeling all of the beans, place them into the bowl of a food processor.  Add the remaining ingredients, except for the extra virgin olive oil.  (This is just a basic recipe, with the ability for you to tweak the taste based on your preference).  Process beans until partially combined.  Slowly add in oil.

6.  Taste the hummus and tweak accordingly.  If you want a thinner consistency add more oil, or if you want to omit the fat, add in more cooking liquid from the beans.  I added a little more Mediterranean seasoning for this batch.  Store in the refrigerator  for up to 2 weeks.

I encourage you to try making hummus this way.  As you are peeling the chickpeas, you will probably curse me a time or two and wonder why the heck you bothered to make hummus this way and how you could totally be eating hummus right now if you had used canned chickpeas.  I have thought these things.  But please press on.  If you can multitask, you can do other activities while peeling to help the time pass.  You could employ an unsuspecting assistant that might be around or watch TV or talk on the phone.  Whatever your vice, the result of peeling the chickpeas is a creamy, smooth, velvety hummus with jam-packed flavor.

And to boot, I made some pita chips out of pita bread.  I took pita rounds, cut them into 8 slices and placed them onto a greased baking sheet.  I then lightly sprayed the pita triangles with cooking spray and sprinkled with salt.  I baked them in an oven heated to 350 degrees for about 8 minutes.  Yum!  Bread makes me feel like I’m living a teenage dream.

Enjoy!

For printable recipe, click here.

Tags: cooking, dip, dip day, hummus, pita chips, Recipe