Hummus Recipe

OK...since you asked...here it is!

I have been making homemade hummus for over 10 years, and should add that I was a big hummus fan before it was even mass-marketed. When I was about 10ish, my grandpa taught me how to make it. Falafel and hummus, actually. I was in love.

(Trivia: I LOVED cooking with my grandpa. I trusted him implicitly. If he cooked it...I'd try it...and I always loved whatever he introduced me to. One of my fondest memories with him was when I had moved back to California while in the Navy. I spent most weekends down in San Diego with him. We always ate such wonderful things. Anyway, I loved the time we went down to Tijuana, taking a journey which involved walking, a cab, two separate and harrowing bus rides through hilly, third-world neighborhoods...all to experience a restaurant full of worn-out, painted-red, wooden picnic benches, a deep sink in the back to wash your hands...and a big pot of goat stew. Yum!)

Anyway, through the years, I've discovered there are lots of recipes out there...and I've tried many...but this one is my favorite blend. You can (of course) adapt it to your tastes and make it your own!


Carrie's Favorite Hummus Recipe

• 2 (15.5 oz.) cans chick peas* (also called garbanzo beans), drained...but reserve the liquid for blending
• 1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-4 cloves of garlic, crushed (I like 4...but I LOVE garlic)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (you can add 1 Tbsp, and then drizzle the other Tbsp on the top for presentation, if you like...but I just add it all)
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
  

Peel chick peas. You may want to sit in front of the TV with a tray and a bowl in your lap for this. It's easy (all you do is give them a little pinch and the peel comes off in one shot) but those are a lot of peas...it takes some time. You can honestly skip this step...I've made MANY a hummus without shucking the garbanzos...but once I did it, I really liked the buttery smooth consistency, and the flavor seemed more intense without the bland peels in there.

Place chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, salt, garlic, olive oil, cumin and parsley in blender or food processor.

Here's where the reserved chick pea juice comes in. You'll need some of it to get the consistency you desire. Too little and it won't blend...too much and it'll be too thin (and you'll get all that extra sodium). I think I end up using around 2/3 cup. It's somewhere between 1/2 and 1 cup.

OK, so now just pulverize it until it's all smooth, adding the juice as needed.

Garnish with extra parsley, paprika, olive oil, and/or toasted pine nuts, if desired.

*You can use dried chick peas instead...in fact it's more authentic and nutritious that way. I sometimes use dried...but to tell you the truth, only when I don't have canned on hand. If you use dried, you'll probably want to add more salt to taste. Although I can't tell you the precise ratio to canned...one cup of dried equals 3 cups of prepared chick peas. Since a can has a little over 2 cups of chick peas...I'd say to start with 1 1/2 cups of dried chick peas in this recipe to get the right ratio. Just cook them according to the directions on the package. Also, remember you'll need to reserve some of the liquid for smoothing the texture of the hummus.

I hope you love this as much as I do!