Hummus is a smooth, creamy spread made from garbanzo beans that is a staple of all Lebanese and Greek restaurants, what I prefer to call Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. I haven't met anyone who doesn't care for it but it's conceivable some may; they can go die now, preferably in front of me with wallets and handbags full of cash and credit cards. This is a basic hummus that you can embellish and modify in any number of ways.
Preparation: 10 minutes.
Cooking: n/a
Servings: approx. 20
Est. cost: approx. $3.00
Today's Specimen
Ingredients
- 2 (14 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, drained and juice set aside
- 4 med. cloves (approx. 2 tbsp.) fresh garlic
- 4 tsp. tahini
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (approx. 1 med. lemon)
- 4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- ¼ tsp. ground cayenne
- 1 pinch (⅛ tsp.) ground white pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
Directions
- Drain the cans of garbanzo beans and set the juice aside.
- Add the garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, olive oil, and lemon juice to a food processor and puree. Add about half a cup of juice from the can to help liquefy the mixture.
- Add the spices after about a minute of processing and continue to puree, adding more juice from the can until the mixture attains a creamy — but not pasty or runny — consistency. I usually end up adding a total of about a cup of the juice.
- For the best flavor refrigerate for at least a couple hours before serving. If you feel snazzy serve it in a wide bowl and create a depression in the center to fill with olive oil and sprinkle fresh parsley and paprika around the outside.
Next Time in the Lab
I've been making this off and on for years and I pretty much have it down; I wouldn't do a thing to this recipe. It's up to your personal taste what I suggest but if you like a little more garlic add that, a little more of an earthy flavor then toss in another teaspoon of tahini and maybe even up the cumin a tad, and if you like that lemon zing then add more lemon juice.
