Hummus
Growing up in an Eastern European family, you don’t really eat a lot of Hummus. My dad used to call it “fixing paste”. So I hadn’t eaten a good hummus until I met my husband and his family. It is one of the most popular dishes in Israel. You can find it in almost every fast food shop or restaurant. Prepared well, it is a very yummy and nutritious dish that with good pita bread creates a whole meal. Chickpeas are great source for protein and the tahini is a great source of calcium. Hummus can have a grainy texture or a velvety smooth texture, this varies according to taste and personal preference.
Ingredients
Chickpeas - Use either ½ cup of dried Chickpeas (the smallest you can find) and a tablespoon of baking soda or 1 can of canned chickpeas (organic brand) Tahini paste - ¼ cup Juice from lemon - ½ lemon A Garlic clove
Cumin ¼ teaspoon
Salt to taste
To garnish: Olive oil Chopped Parsley
Method:
If using dried chickpeas: 1. pour the chickpeas onto a large plate. Check for damaged grains, small stones, or any other thing you would rather leave out of the dish.
2.Wash the chickpeas several times, until the water is transparent. soak them in clean water overnight with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. The grains should absorb most of the water and almost double their volume.
3.Wash the chickpeas well and put them in a large pot. Cover with water; and NO salt. Cook until the grains are very easily smashed when pressed between two fingers. This should take around 1 hour, during which you should replace the water at least once with clean boiling water, removing any peels and foam which float over the cooking water. When done, sieve the grains but keep the cooking water.
***************************************************************** If using canned chickpeas please skip the previous section and start here ! Place the chickpeas into a food processor and grind well. Leave it to chill a little while before you continue. Add the tahini and the rest of the ingredients and blend the ingredients with the food processor until you get your desired texture. If the Hummus is too thick, add some of the cooking water (or warm water if using canned chickpeas). It should be thinner than the actual desired texture because when it cools it tends to thicken.
Serve with some good olive oil and chopped parsley and good pita bread.
Enjoy ! Love Rita
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