Happy Humus Recipes

BEST HUMMUS

Steps:

• Place the chickpeas in a medium saucepan and add the baking soda. Cover the chickpeas by several inches of water, then bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling, reducing heat if necessary to prevent overflow, for about 20 minutes, or until the chickpeas look bloated, their skins are falling off, and they're quite soft. In a fine-mesh strainer, drain the chickpeas and run cool water over them for about 30 seconds. Set aside (no need to peel the chickpeas for this recipe!).
• Meanwhile, in a food processor or high-powered blender, combine the lemon juice, garlic and salt. Process until the garlic is very finely chopped, then let the mixture rest so the garlic flavor can mellow, ideally 10 minutes or longer.
• Add the tahini to the food processor and blend until the mixture is thick and creamy, stopping to scrape down any tahini stuck to the sides and bottom of the processor as necessary.
• While running the food processor, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water. Scrape down the food processor, and blend until the mixture is ultra smooth, pale and creamy. (If your tahini was extra-thick to begin with, you might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water.)
• Add the cumin and the drained, over-cooked chickpeas to the food processor. While blending, drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until the mixture is super smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary, about 2 minutes. Add more ice water by the tablespoon if necessary to achieve a super creamy texture.
• Taste, and adjust as necessary-I almost always add another 1/4 teaspoon salt for more overall flavor and another tablespoon of lemon juice for extra zing.
• Scrape the hummus into a serving bowl or platter, and use a spoon to create nice swooshes on top. Top with garnishes of your choice, and serve. Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.

THE BEST HUMMUS

Steps:

• Drain the chickpeas in a medium mesh sieve, reserving the liquid. Reserve about 7 chickpeas for garnish.
• Process the tahini, garlic and cumin in a food processor. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in 2/3 cup of the reserved chickpea liquid (if you don't have exactly 2/3 cup, add water until the total amount is 2/3 cup) and process until light and very creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. The mixture will appear broken at first but will come together after all the liquid is added and has been processed for a minute or two.
• Add the chickpeas, the lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the tahini mixture. Process until the mixture is extremely smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally, about 4 minutes. Thin with more water if you prefer a looser consistency. Taste and season with more salt, lemon juice or cumin as desired.
• Spoon the hummus into a shallow bowl, making a well in the center, and drizzle liberally with oil. Top with the reserved chickpeas and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with pita bread, pita chips or cut raw vegetables.

HOW TO MAKE SUPER CREAMY HUMMUS

Steps:

• Drain the chickpeas over a colander, reserving the liquid in a bowl. Skip to step 5 if not removing the skins from the chickpeas.
• To remove the skins for creamier hummus: rinse the chickpeas and add them to a small microwave-safe bowl.
• Toss the chickpeas in 1 ½ tsp. baking soda and microwave them for 90 seconds.
• Pour the hot chickpeas into a large bowl and cover with cool water. Gently rub the chickpeas between your hands to remove the skins. Drain off the water with the skins, and repeat the process until all the skins have been removed. It may take 4-5 changes of water.
• Add the chickpeas (with skins on or off), ¼ cup of chickpea liquid from the can, and all other ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until completely smooth, about 60 seconds. If things aren't moving around very well, you can add 2 extra tbsp. at a time of the chickpea liquid.
• Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with crackers, chips, veggies, or as a sandwich spread.