Hummus
Hummus has become rather standard fare; and I cannot honestly say that I remember when I first ate it, though I think it must have been sometime in the early 1980’s; I do remember serving Mike Gregan, and him being surprised. He seemed to like the hummus, but corrected my pronunciation of the word.
All of my Arabic friends, who have tasted my hummus, agree that it is not creamy or thin enough – they may be right, but I like the texture. Nevertheless, creamy enough or not, I never have any left over, thus I always double the batch, so that we can eat it the next day. I love to spread it on fresh French bread, with a small salad, and some olives – it is the perfect meal. It can be served with pita chips, warmed pita bread, crackers, or raw vegetables. This is easy to prepare, stores well in the refrigerator – at least a week, and can be frozen for several months.
Ingredients:
1 large can of Chick Peas – or you may use dry that you cook until tender, but canned work well
⅓ cup of Tahini – sesame paste
¼ cup of Lemon Juice
Roasted Garlic – at least 2-3 cloves, but it should be to taste
1 medieum Onion – diced
Olive Oil – about ¼ of a cup, but may use less
Cumin about ½ teaspoon – Cumin is strong, taste as you go
Oregano about a tablespoon
Parsley or Mint – chopped for garnish
Mahlab – if you have it, bright red color makes nice garnish with green
Salt to taste
Directions:
It is best to make this recipe in a food processor or blender. Place onion and garlic in the food processor and mince finely; add a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, Tahini, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano, and process for a few minutes, until all ingredients are well blended. Rinse the chick peas and add to the mixture, blending until creamy. Taste it, and correct the flavors. You will probably add a few more drizzles of oil.
Some people add water, specifically the bean water, to thin the mixture out, but I like it thicker. Spoon the mixture into a serving dish, make a small well, in the center, and pour a little olive oil, in the well. Sprinkle with Mahlab, and parsley, though some people prefer mint. You must taste this as you go along, and figure out what pleases you.
Pita Chips
With a small brush, paint pita bread with olive oil. If you wish, you may sprinkle with any combination of sea salt, herbs or parmesan cheese. Oregano and garlic powder go especially well with hummus. Using your kitchen shears, cut the pita’s into triangles, and bake on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven, for 5-10 minutes, do not let them burn. However, you can now also buy pita chips that are excellent!
