Basic Must-Have Recipes: Hummus

Share

I didn't start eating hummus until college.  I didn't even know what hummus was until I was at least 20 years old, but once I got into it, there was no stopping me.  We tried a lot of different ways to make it our senior year of dorm living.  My roommate, Cara, was particularly partial to the hummus mix she could get in the "hippie" section of the grocery store for two reasons: it was cheap, and it was really easy to make.  We also tried making it from scratch, but that never really turned out right.  Most of the time, we just bought it in plastic containers like everyone else.  Even now, most people just buy hummus.  I think that's because they don't know how easy or cheap it is to make at home.  It does require a food processor or blender, so that can be a problem if you're working in a limited kitchen. 

This recipe is loosely based on the recipe from the Joy of Cooking.  I have played with it enough to make it my own, and I encourage you to do the same.  The key to good hummus is taste it, taste it, taste it.  Basically every can of garbanzos is different, and every tahini tastes different, and every oil tastes different.  Those three things will make or break your recipe.  Oh, and don't cheap out on the olive oil.  I learned that one the hard way. (recipe after the jump)


Hummus

• 2 cans (about 3 cups) of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) - you can use the dried ones here, but you have to cook them first. 
• about 2 Tbsp tahini
• about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• pinch red pepper flake (or more, if you like spicy)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 medium sized cloves of garlic, peeled
• juice of 1 medium lemon
• salt
• black pepper

Crush the garlic lightly with a knife to get the skins off.  Throw that in a food processor or blender with a pinch of salt and blend until you get little pieces of garlic.

Rinse and drain the chickpeas, add them to the food processor with red pepper flake, tahini, lemon juice (do NOT use bottled here), cumin, a little bit more salt and a few grinds of pepper.  Process until you have a grainy paste. 

Turn the food processor or blender on, and slowly drizzle in olive oil through the little access port in the top until the hummus is smooth.  This will take more olive oil than you think.  Just stay with it until you get the right consistency. 

Taste your hummus.  Add more salt/pepper/tahini/lemon juice if necessary.  Blend/process until fully incorporated.  (I have found over time that the lemon juice makes the biggest taste difference the fastest.  Also, salt is super important, but it's best to add a little bit at a time.  I like to taste the hummus with what I am serving it with, because it might taste great on celery but terrible on a pita.)

Makes about 2 cups of hummus.  Serve with veggies, cut up pitas, or pretzels.  Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

If you make this hummus ahead of time, be aware that the garlic flavor gets stronger as it sits in the fridge, as does anything spicy that you might put in there. 

You can play with this recipe - add roasted red peppers, jalepenos, pinenuts, extra tahini, sub in roasted for raw garlic, sundried tomatoes, celery seed....anything that sounds interesting.  The recipe plays well with other flavors.