true hummus

after devouring our friend's homemade hummus at a dinner party, i had to have the recipe. she got it out of saveur magazine and told me the difference lied in the preparation as well as the quality of the ingredients, but just to read the article.  i wanted to put this recipe in my blog so i will never lose it, plus to share with my friends. this authentic middle eastern family recipe is from alia yunis, and she tells of a funny story of how most real Arabic friends and family of hers are put off  by the 'provocative' 'unauthentic hummus' out in the american supermarkets. they say if it is made with black beans or has 'strange' added ingredients like red peppers or jalapenos, then it's no longer a true hummus, but some other kind of dip! wow, sticklers huh?  and don't even get them started on how it's not a dip for veggies, but pita bread! haha! the article was funny! 

even though i like a lot of store bought hummus, and the rogue varieties, i wanted to get the hang of classic homemade hummus down before venturing out into the unknown. for years i typically would drain a can of garbanzo beans, throw them in processor with other random ingredients and call it hummus. most of the time it turned out alright, but the texture and flavors never seemed just right. 

so even though it is more time consuming, definitely follow these directions and you will not regret it! :) 

1 2/3 cup dried chickpeas, picked over and soaked overnight

1 clove garlic, peeled

salt to taste

1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste) -- i found the best one at fiesta's Mediterranean section!

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp chopped parsley

1/4 tsp sweet paprika

1. Drain chickpeas, transfer to medium pot, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to a medium-low simmer , partially covered, until chickpeas are tender and skins begin to naturally fall off, about 50-60 minutes. Drain well, reserving the cooking liquid, and set chickpeas aside to let rest and become cool enough to handle.

2. Peel chickpeas, discarding skins (kaye's note: i had started to do this one by one, and was like, whoa, this is going to take me forever, especially since i was doing a double batch! i found the easiest way to peel them was this: after draining and reserving the liquid, then keep them in the cooking pot and run cool water over them, and most of the skins will float to the top, which you can easily skim off with your hands or a spoon. then i just got my hands in the pot of beans + cool water and kinda rubbed the beans lightly with my fingers and swirled them around a lot, which helped to dislodge more stubborn peels.  then i drained that water and picked off any remaining skins i found in the colander. to me, this was way faster, but you do what works for you! peeling the skins off seriously makes a huge difference so don't skip this step!)  

3. put chickpeas and 1/4 cup cooking liquid into a food processor and puree, occasionally scraping down bowl until very smooth, 3-4 minutes. 

4. put garlic and a pinch of salt into a mortar and crush with a pestle until they form a paste. (kaye's note, i donated my mortar and pestle after years of it collecting dust, so i just used my garlic press to make a garlic paste) add tahini, lemon juice, and salt to taste and process some more. 

5. transfer hummus to a shallow bowl and press a well into the center with the back of a spoon. drizzle  hummus with oil, and sprinkle parsley and paprika into well. Serve with olives and pita bread, if you like!