HOMEMADE HUMMUS
I used to say to myself, “Why bother?” saving scraps of vegetables or carcasses of chicken in my freezer to make homemade broth when I could buy the same thing for a couple bucks in a can or Tetra Pak.
Until I made my own.
I used to say to myself, “Why bother?” boiling elbow macaroni, making a bechamel from scratch and grating a hillock of cheese for mac ‘n’ cheese when I could buy the same basics in a little blue (or red, or yellow) box for a dollar.
Until I made my own.
I used to say to myself “Why bother?” Sherlocking the sesame seed paste called tahini (that isn’t really rare to find anymore), pulling out and slopping up the food processor to grind a couple cans of chickpeas, peeling some garlic and squeezing some lemons to make hummus at home when I could find tubs of it—flavored in as many nights as are in Arabia—for $3-$4 on sale.
Until I made my own.
Get (the Robot Coupe) down; get (the cutting board) dirty; get (your food) real.
The basics for homemade hummus come easily at hand; variations and garnishes will twinkle your imagination. Your only significant decision is whether to use already-cooked, canned chickpeas or to cook your own.
As Yogi Berra counseled, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
RECIPE: Hummus
From “The Best Recipes in the World,” Mark Bittman, epicurious.com; makes 8 or more servings
Ingredients
2 cups drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas, liquid reserved
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste), optional, with some of its oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for drizzling
2 cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon ground cumin or paprika, or to taste, plus a sprinkling for garnish
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
Directions
Put everything except the parsley in a food processor and begin to process; add the chickpea liquid or water as needed to allow the machine to produce a smooth puree. Taste and adjust the seasoning (I often find I like to add much more lemon juice). Serve, drizzled with the olive oil and sprinkled with a bit more cumin or paprika and some parsley.
Note #1: To cook chickpeas on your stovetop, soak for 8-12 hours (or overnight) 1 cup dried, rinsed chickpeas and 1 tablespoon baking soda in 8 cups of water. Then drain and rinse the chickpeas and put into a large pot with 10 cups water; bring to a boil, cook 5 minutes, skimming off an foam that rises, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chickpeas are very soft, 45 minutes to an hour. Drain, retaining some of the cooking water, and proceed with this recipe.
Note #2: You may add any of these flavorings to the chickpea paste as you process it: 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1/2 to 1 teaspoon smoked or regular powdered paprika, or dried Mediterranean or European herbs, 1 tablespoon powdered curry, harissa, sriracha or gochujang paste; 1/2 ripe avocado meat; 1/2 cup ricotta cheese; 12 to 3/4 cup mashed cooked or roasted sweet potato, yam or carrot.
Garnishes are legion: more extra virgin olive oil; chopped radish; ground sumac; slices or slivers of fried garlic; more lemon juice; a few reserved whole cooked chickpeas; chopped hard-cooked egg; chopped fennel fronds (leaves), mint leaves or poppy seeds; a slight swirl of more tahini; or chopped raw or roasted cashews.