I have figured out how to work my new phone and things have settled down enough that I actually have time to cook peacefully. Only when cooking peacefully does one have time to take pictures.
Today I wasn't really "cooking", since I never even put the cooker on.
My kids absolutely love hummus and given that it is nutritious and delicious I wonder why I don't make it more often. Whenever there is a pot luck and I don't have time to bake anything I grab for a large can of chickpeas. Its always a hit. Today I needed something quick for lunch so we picked up some Lebanese flat bread and made some hummus.
Just as a warning, don't omit the tahini (don't buy the cheapest either) because without tahini it does not taste half as good.
Preparation time: 15 min. Serves 4 (as an appetizer)
Ingredients:
| 1 | 14 oz can chickpeas (or 225 g dried chickpeas soaked in cold water overnight |
| 1 | Lemon, juice of |
| 75 ml (1/4 cup) | Tahini paste |
| 2 tbsp. | Olive oil |
| 1 clove | Garlic |
| Salt and pepper | |
| 1 pinch | Chilli powder |
Method:
I almost always use canned chickpeas. They are easy to come by and make this recipe really easy to make.
One mistake that I always make when putting my hummus together is that I throw away the water in the chickpea can. DO NOT throw away the water!! You of course have to drain the water because you don't want that much but you do need a little.
Once you have drained the chickpeas put them into a food processor. Cut the clove or garlic into about 3 and put it in together with the olive oil, tahini and lemon juice. Be careful with the lemon juice. If you don't like things too sour put in the juice of half the lemon first. You can always add more juice later. Add some salt and pepper to taste (you can also add more later).
Then whizz it in your food processor until it is nice and smooth. If it doesn't get smooth it's probably because there is not enough liquid in the mixture. Taste the hummus and see if it needs more lemon juice. Add as much as you like and then whizz it again. If it is still too dry add the liquid that you drained from the can a teaspoon at a time. Whizz it each time and check the consistency. I like mine not so dry because then the hummus is smoother. So in this batch I ended up putting almost all the lemon and a tablespoon of chickpea liquid. Once you have a smooth paste you are done.
To serve it place it in a bowl and flatten the top with a spoon making a swirl in the hummus. Drizzle a bit of olive oil onto the swirl and then sprinkle with a pinch of chilli powder. You can also use paprika or any other hot powder.
Serve as an appetizer or snack with flat bread or vegetable sticks.
For a chef friendly version click here.
