I have always loved dips, with bread, crackers or chips. Simple snacks are fun and easy. Occasionally, for lunch I have some tea with a few dips, bread and olives.
I stumbled onto hummus one day, I was at a birthday party and oooohhh dips. At the time, I didn’t know what I was eating or what it is was called. I just knew it was different and it was great!! Later that day, I was told all about hummus. I have been an addict since that day.
In Greece, we ate a lot of hummus. It always tasted like it had more lemon than my typical hummus. It did not take long and I preferred the flavor. The additional lemon brightens up the flavor, it gives it a little extra freshness. This recipe does include the additional lemon flavor.
My favorite way to eat hummus is with warm pita bread. Try it with fresh bread, crackers, or on a quinoa bowl. Consider adding hummus to a wrap or using it as a replacement for mayonnaise.
Hummus
This is a traditional recipe, it leans more to the flavors of the Mediterranean.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried Chickpeas
- 4 Garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/4 cup Tahini paste (pureed sesame)
- Olive Oil to taste – 3 tbsp
- 1/4 cup of fresh Lemon juice (1 lemon)
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Salt (Kosher Salt preferred)
Optional Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
Make the Chickpeas
- Add the Chickpeas to a large bowl.
- Rinse and drain the Chickpeas.
- Fill bowl with water, 2 inches above the chickpeas.
- Cover the chickpeas and soak for at least 8 hours. Soak in the refrigerator if longer than 8 hours.
- Rinse and drain the Chickpeas.
- Add Chickpeas to a large saucepan.
- Add 4 cups of water to the pan. Add additional water, until 1 inch of above the chickpeas.
- Optional: Add the Baking soda or just cook an additional 15 minutes.
- Cover the pan and bring water to a boil.
- Uncover the pan and reduce heat to medium-high.
- Cook for 45 minutes.
- Check for tenderness: take a single chickpea and crush it between your fingers. It should easily crush into a paste.
- If needed continue cooking until the chickpeas are done.
- Drain the chickpeas (optional, save the water for aquafaba)
Optional: remove the skins from the chickpeas
- Cover chickpeas with room temperature water.
- Rub chickpeas between your hands to remove the skins.
- Pick-up the Chickpeas and let the chickpeas fall between your fingers.
- The skins will stick to your fingers, rinse the skins off your fingers.
Make the Hummus
- Add Chickpeas and Garlic to the food processor.
- Add 2 tbsp water to the food processor.
- Process the chickpeas for 3 minutes on low speed or until it becomes smooth.
- Add Tahini, Salt and Cumin.
- Process for 1 minute.
- Add Olive Oil and Lemon juice
- Process for 1 minute.
- Check the consistency and taste the Hummus.
- Add more salt if needed.
- Adjust consistency if needed.
Adjustments - too thick
- Add a tsp of water or Olive Oil
- Process for 30 seconds.
- Repeat these steps until the desired consistency is reached.
Adjustments - too thin
- Add a tsp of Tahini
- process for 1 minute.
- Repeat these steps until the desired consistency is reached.
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.