For February’s recipe post I kept things simple with two varieties of one of my favorite snacks, hummus. Hummus is one of the most versatile spreads out there. That said, I think we all might be using the word hummus a little too loosely. Just about ANY bean spread these days is labelled as hummus and it’s a little weird, almost the equivalent of any noodle dish being labelled pasta (I’m just as guilty of this as you’ll see with my avocado hummus recipe). But whatever, I am not the hummus police.
The point is that hummus has never been more popular or easy to find and no matter where you live you probably have access to some sort of pre-made Saabra-style hummus product. Personally though, I prefer the taste of the homemade real deal than the yogurty varieties you’ll find at your grocery store. Lucky for you, making this classic hummus is super easy, particularly if you have a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, get ready for a work out mixing these ingredients by hand.
One of my first friends I made when I moved to Seattle was this crazy Fabio wannabe from Lebanon (you can find his blog here). He was the first person to introduce to me the very basic recipe for traditional hummus you’ll find below. It was a delicious staple anytime he showed up for potlucks or hosted a BBQ. A few notes on this super simple recipe:
1) You’ll very likely get a bit of garlic breath (duh raw garlic) so if desired you can omit that ingredient, though it will detract from the flavor.
2) There is a lot of mediocre tahini out there that is waaaaaaaay too thick and strong tasting. Look for tahini that is already naturally a little creamy and it will give you a more appealing texture.
3) Be very careful when adding salt; if you’re using canned beans it is very likely that they are already salted so it might be unnecessary all together to add salt to your recipe, so taste your hummus BEFORE (and during and after) you add your salt.
4) If using dry beans, be sure to rinse the beans before you soak them and then let them soak for a good long while (at least 4 hours). The longer you soak your beans the fluffier they’ll be when you puree them.
- 1 can Garbanzo beans 15 ounces
- 4 tablespoons Tahini
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 juice of Lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pinch Salt
- If you're using dried beans; rinse and soak your beans for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight). If you're using canned beans, drain beans, rinse and then set aside to dry in a colander.
- Peel your garlic and drop into food processor with olive oil; puree.
- Add the garbanzo beans and tahini; pulse food processor to blend beans into garlic & olive oil. At this stage you're looking for a thick paste, but no bean skins should be evident.
- Squeeze or pour in the lemon juice. Blend for 5 seconds to 10 seconds. If the hummus is not evenly blending use a spatula to push the separated olive oil or lemon juice that is sitting under the blade up into the puree.
- Taste the hummus! If it is still too thick OR you simply want it to be a little smoother/creamier, add more olive oil. Add the pepper and a little of the salt. Blend. Taste and repeat until you have the final product you're looking for.
- Dress with chili pepper and a lug of extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!
