Classic Chickpea Hummus from Scratch

Hummus is a wholesome snack made from cooked chickpeas, mashed up and mixed with lemon juice, tahini, olive oil and some cumin. Because of the density of the protein rich chickpeas I make hummus in small batches as it mashes up a lot better. I cook up a whole packet of chickpeas after soaking them overnight in a large bowl filled with water. Bring a large saucepan of water containing the chickpeas to the boil, then simmer them until they are tender, for about an hour,  or until a couple of shells are just starting to separate from the chickpea. Drain and reserve the water they were boiled in.

Measure out 2 cups of cooked chickpeas, and make a batch of hummus, freezing it in a small container.  Keep making batches until the all the chickpeas are used up. It will also keep for a week in a sealed container in the frig. I always reserve some cooked chickpeas and keep them in the refrigerator to have in salads or to use in frittatas, tagines, stews, Indian curries and soups. I try to keep a few batches in my freezer on reserve, as then I always have a quick and nutritious dip on hand.



Ingredients:

2 cups well-cooked chickpeas, plus liquid they are cooked in (7 tablespoons of liquid should be enough) (reserve a few cooked chickpeas for garnish)
4 tsp. tahini
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon or around 4 tablespoons
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Sweet paprika for garnish
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

Put the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, cumin, lemon juice and half the chickpea cooking liquid in the blender and begin to blend it. When the chickpeas are broken down, add the olive oil in a steady stream down the chute and then add the rest of the chickpea liquid until you have a good consistency.

Add a little salt and freshly ground pepper and taste it to see if it is to your liking. Sometimes I add a little extra lemon juice for extra flavour.

Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika and chopped parsley.

Hummus is always delicious when served with a cheese platter and nibblies. I often take it with crackers when we visit friends to enjoy with a drink and when they realise it is homemade from scratch they are generally very appreciative, and it tastes really good. In fact it seems to improve in flavour after it sits in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

If you are a bit time poor, hummus made from canned chickpeas will still taste good. It is good nutritious food.

Best wishes

Pauline