In the end, you might say hummus is just a bean paste. You would be right, but you would be oh so wrong. Hummus is a gourmet meal or a delicious side dish. It was a staple growing up. It is filling, nutritious, and incredibly tasty. It takes minutes to make and keeps well. I suspect it would keep in the refrigerator for several weeks, but I really could not tell you because it rarely stays around more than a day or two before being gobbled up. Bring it to a party, and it is guaranteed to be one of the first dishes to disappear.
When I grew up in the 1970s, nobody ever heard of hummus in the United States. There was no option to buy it from the grocery store with all sorts of weird ingredients mixed into it. You made your own. Of course, when we were kids, we just waited for our mom, Badrieh Saydjari, to make it. Now, all adult members of our family make it. Yes, you heard right, we make it. One does not buy hummus from the store. That stuff is crap and full of fat and way too much tahini. We jokingly refer to that as “white people’s hummus.” Hummus Comedy Video
Hummus is properly eaten with authentic pita bread. In a pinch, you can use toasted bread. We will even forgive you if you use it as a dip for celery, carrots, and other raw vegetables. Ok, enough verbiage. Here is the recipe. Enjoy.
Ingredients: 5 servings (3.4oz) :: 165 calories
1. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) – 2 cans @ 19 oz each
2. Tahini—2 TBS (sesame seed butter)
3. Lemon juice—1/3 cup (2 lemons)
4. Bean Juice—1/3 cup (from can)
5. Garlic—2 cloves (mashed, 1 tsp. minced)
6. Salt—1 tsp.
7. Red pepper/Cayenne Pepper—1/4 tsp.
8. Cumin—2 tsp.
9. Olive oil—2 tbsp.
10. Zahtar–1/4 tsp
11. Parsley (optional)
Preparation
1. Puree drained chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt (about 2 minutes)
2. Add bean juice until it just begins to flow smoothly in the food processor.
3. Spread about 3.4 oz on a small plate to make a nice thin circle of paste.
4. Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of cumin & optional zaatar, cayenne pepper, and parsley.
5. Optionally Serve with a medium-sized toasted pita (or regular toast will do in a pinch)
Notes:
1. Freezing: Pour in a shallow baking tray. Score the top to create 10 equal-sized pieces (for example, a line down middle and 4 lines across). If hummus is too thin to score, let it freeze for 30 minutes first. Let freeze for 2 hours, and then seal it and store.