traditional homemade hummus
I think one of the best things about developing recipes in when you can make something really special for your friends. A few weeks ago when I was in New York, I spent the better part of an afternoon at Eataly, wandering around this amazing Italian market. If you haven’t been yet, it’s definitely worth a trip (and a slice of pizza). While there were so many interesting products to want to buy, I settled on a few specific things, one of which was a bag of dried chickpeas.
Making my own hummus has long been on my list of things I’ve wanted to make from scratch and when I found out my friends were coming to town this past weekend, I decided to make it because my friends love hummus as much as I do. While it’s not at all hard to make, it does take a little bit of time. First you have to soak the beans overnight and then you have to simmer them for about an hour until they’re softened. And then it’s simply a matter of blending all the ingredients together until you get the flavor you want. So in the end, was it worth all the extra effort of making it from scratch? When I saw how much my friends appreciated it, I knew I had my answer. It was. The hummus was in fact really good (and even better the next day) and yes, making something special for your friends is always worth it. And being able to share it together makes it even better.
traditional homemade hummus
Traditional hummus is usually made with a bit of tahini (sesame paste) but I make my version without it. For a quicker version, you can skip soaking the dried beans overnight and use a can of rinsed low sodium beans instead.
1 cup dried chickpeas, picked over
6 roasted garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons reserved cooking liquid
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1. Place dried beans in a bowl of water, covering completely, and refrigerate overnight.
2. Drain beans, discarding water. Place beans in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 1 hour, until beans are softened (they should break when pressed between two fingers). Drain beans, making sure to reserve cooking liquid.
3. Transfer beans to a food processor and allow to cool slightly. Add garlic and cumin and season with salt and pepper. Pulse a few times. Add lemon zest and juice and cooking liquid. Pulse until mixture starts to become smooth. Slowly add olive oil and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil if mixture is too thick. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve (the longer it sits, the more the flavors will develop). Serve with pita bread and carrots for dipping.
Makes approximately 2 cups.
