I made hummus and you should, too

I made hummus this weekend. Classic chickpea-tahini-lemon-garlic hummus. I even went so far as to soak dried chickpeas the night before and I took the outer skins off the chickpeas before blending. All of those extra little steps lead me to the most sublime, or as Deb Perelman says, ethereally smooth, hummus.

Resist buying that slightly sour-tasting grocery store hummus this week and try making your own. You’ll want to eat it with everything. I did.

I Made Hummus and You Should, Too

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen, originally from Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem

Makes about 1 3/4 cups hummus

Ingredients:

Just shy of 2/3 cup dried chickpeas (or 1 15-oz can of drained and rinsed chickpeas for same yield)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda (for dried chickpeas only)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste

2 small cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 cup tahini paste

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

Approximately 1/4 cup water or reserved chickpea cooking water

To sprinkle on top (optional): olive oil, flaky salt, paprika, and/or za’atar

Directions:

1. To cook the dried chickpeas (if using canned chickpeas, start at step 3): Place the chickpeas in a medium saucepan and cover them with at least twice their volume of cold water, leaving them to soak overnight.

2. The next day, drain the chickpeas and saute them in that same medium saucepan with the baking soda for about 3 minutes. The baking soda will bubble slightly. Add 3 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil. Skim any foam that floats to the surface. They need to cook for 20 to 40 minutes, sometimes even longer, depending on freshness, to become tender. When tender, one will break up easily between the thumb and forefinger. Alternatively, put the chickpeas in a slow-cooker (Deb’s method) on high with the baking soda for approximately three hours (less monitoring).

2. Drain the chickpeas (saving the chickpea broth for soups or to thin the hummus) and cool slightly.

3. Whether fresh or canned chickpeas: Peel the chickpeas by taking a chickpea between your thumb and next two fingers, arranging the pointy end in towards your palm and pop the chickpea out of the skin. Discard or compost the skin.

4. In a blender (or food processor), add the lemon juice and chopped garlic (it helps to have a little liquid in the bottom of the blender prevent it from clumping and getting stuck). Add the chickpeas and pulse the mix together. Add the tahini, salt, and 1/4 cup water/reserved chickpea water. Pulse until the mix starts getting creamy. If needed, add a tablespoon more lemon juice or water to get the blender going. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt or lemon if needed.

5. Transfer the hummus to a bowl and rest it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. To serve, drizzle it with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and paprika. Serve with pita wedges or carrot sticks, in a sandwich, or atop grilled eggplant or lamb.

Tags: blender, chickpeas, dips, garlic, gluten-free, healthy, holidays, hummus, israeli, lemon, Mediterranean, ottolenghi, Smitten Kitchen, snack, spreads, tahini, vegan