Homemade hummus

Here, hummus is a national institution. And people will not hesitate to drive far for a plate of good hummus from a renowned joint. The dish can be ordered either plain or with toppings, for example whole chickpeas, falafels, tahina or ground meat. I find hummus delicious simply with a bit of olive oil and freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley or coriander.

As already mentioned in a previous post, chickpea is an excellent source of molybdenum and manganese, and a very good source of folate and copper. It is a healthy and versatile ingredient for cooking. I find useful to keep at home one or two cans of chickpeas, and 2 cups of home cooked ones in the freezer.

Homemade hummus is easy and quick to prepare if the chickpeas are already cooked ahead (otherwise, allow few hours. Find here my convenient method for preparing from scratch chickpeas and other beans in the oven without prior soaking). Ready in less than 10 minutes, it would be a pity to have to eat store-bought hummus!

The quantity in the recipe here serve two.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of cooked chickpeas (if from a can: drained but reserve the liquid, and rinsed in cold water)
• Juice of half a freshly squeezed lemon
• 1 tablespoon of good quality olive oil + some to serve
• 3 tablespoons of tahini
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt, to taste
• ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
• ½ cup of water or ½ cup of liquid from the can
• ¼ teaspoon of paprika to serve
• Coriander or parsley leaves (optional), finely chopped

Preparation

In a food processor, blend the chickpeas to a sandy purée. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, garlic, salt and ground cumin. Blend again, and add water/liquid from the can little by little until getting the desired hummus consistency. Transfer the hummus to a serving dish. Before serving, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some paprika and/or finely chopped coriander or parsley leaves. Serve with some fresh pita bread. And enjoy!