Hummus authorities will tell you it’s truly calamitous to use canned chickpeas. Still, when time constraints thwarts the lengthy preparation, it’s a precipitous way of creating Hummus in a hurry. It may be a desecration of the Hummus Laws of the Universe, but you still get a pretty decent dip in my opinion, way better than any store bought. So, venture gently into the Hummus world, and know it’s fine to use the shortcut. Fair warning however, once you make it from scratch, there’s no going back.
If you have delved into the Pantry Rat, you probably know that I am not a huge crock-pot junkie, however, for this instance it bestows the desired creaminess to the Hummus, hence the most sensible manner of cooking the peas. If you don’t own a slow cooker then the method described below yields the same outcome.
1 LB of dried chickpeas – sorted to remove any small stones
7 cups of water
1 TSP baking soda
1 TSP kosher salt
HUMMUS
2 garlic cloves – finely chopped
½ TSP Kosher salt
¼ cup of Tahini paste
3 TBSP of lemon juice
3-4 TBSP of reserved cooking liquid from the chickpeas
Sumac Powder
Soak the chickpeas overnight in a large cooking pot with plenty of water. The next morning drain them and place the pot over medium heat, adding the baking soda. Stir them constantly for about 5 minutes and then add the 7 cups of water; simmer skimming off any of the skins that float on the top. Gently cook the chickpeas for about 1 hour, or longer until they are very tender and you can squeeze one between your thumb and forefinger. Drain them and set aside to cool, reserving about 4-5 TBSP of their cooking liquid. (If using a crockpot add the chickpeas, the 7 cups of water, 1 TSP of salt and 1 TSP of baking soda – cook on low for 9 hours or high for 4).
Add them to the food processor bowl and throw in the chopped garlic. Blend to a coarse paste scrapping the bowl; incorporate the lemon juice, the 4 TBSP of the cooking liquid, salt and with the motor running drizzle the tahini. Taste for seasonings and add more tahini or lemon juice to taste. You can add a splash of Tabasco if you desire. Keeps refrigerated up to 4-5 days.
NOTE
Don’t add the EVOO when you are mixing, it will make the Hummus heavy and you want it airy and creamy. Drizzle it copiously on top right before serving. Finish with some Sumac powder, toasted pine nuts and some fresh cilantro. Make sure you use outstanding quality EVOO; the better it is, the more sumptuous your Hummus will be.
**NB ABOUT EVOO AND OLIVE OILS**
Ensure when you purchase your oils that the bottles have a dark glass color, the darker the better, the worst enemy for your olive oil is light, so keep it in a dark, cool, cabinet. Buying it in a tin format is equally as good. Any good olive oil will have the press date and the expiration as well marked on its container.
As if classic Hummus wasn’t addicting enough, here are some flavor profiles and embellishments to give it additional pizzazz!
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Variation to the regular Hummus – reserve some chickpeas to place on top of the Hummus and then add your EVOO and some Sumac powder
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Avocado Hummus – Add some avocados to the regular hummus recipe with lime zest , lime juice instead of the lemon juice, cilantro, some Mexican hot sauce for some kick and top with some Cotija cheese
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Spinach and Feta Hummus – blend spinach and fresh basil with the hummus, drizzle EVOO and sprinkle Feta on top
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Roasted Garlic Hummus – Place a whole head of garlic cut in half horizontally in a large foil square, drizzle EVOO on top and add fresh rosemary seal the packet and roast for 55-mins to an hour at 350F. When cooled add roasted garlic cloves to the blender with the classic Hummus ingredients – add the rosemary flavored oil on top from having roasted the garlic top with toasted pine nuts
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Roasted Bell Pepper Hummus – add roasted red bell peppers when you are blending the chick peas and 1/2 TSP of smoked Spanish paprika
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Indian Flavored Hummus – for this variation, cook the chickpeas like Chana Masala recipe in my Indian section – just ensure that you are cooking off most of the liquid. When it has cooled down, blend the chick peas and check for seasonings. The Hummus will taste like an Indian curry
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White Bean Hummus – substitute chickpeas for 1 can of Cannellini beans – sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top with fragrant Basil flavored oil
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Chipotle Hummus – use 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed following the regular Hummus recipe and add ¼ can of Chipotle peppers (use lime instead of lemon juice) – add chopped cilantro, chopped tomatoes and a drizzle of Mexican crema on top
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Caramelized Onion Hummus – make regular Hummus and blend in caramelized onions – serve with a drizzle of EVOO, chopped crispy fried prosciutto and fresh parsley
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Green Goddess Hummus – in the food processor add: 2 TSP of anchovy paste, 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped, 2 TBSP of mayo, ½ cup of fresh chopped parsley, ¼ cup of fresh chopped tarragon, juice of ½ lemon salt and pepper. Mix well and place the Goddess dressing in a small bowl. In the food processor, add the ingredients for the classic Hummus recipe and as it’s processing incorporate the Green Goddess Dressing. It will make a very smooth and creamy, green Hummus
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Zucchini Hummus – 3 medium, sized zuks grilled or roasted, 2 cloves of raw garlic, ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice, ¼ cup of tahini, kosher and fresh cracked pepper
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Mediterranean Hummus – make regular Hummus recipe. In a bowl mix: chopped Kalamata olives, EVOO, fresh parsley, chopped capers, chopped roasted bell pepper, chopped fresh basil and mint, 2 TBSP of lemon juice and chopped marinated artichokes. Pile the mix on top of regular Hummus
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Caponata Hummus – top regular Hummus with a mound of Caponata – dust with some paprika and some fresh chopped parsley
