I usually make my own hummus; store-bought hummus can have preservatives like sodium benzoate, and you never know the quality or amount of oil they put into the hummus. Unfortunately, I have never reached the kind of heavenly smooth hummus achieved by the really good Mediterranean restaurants. I have tried everything from blending the garbanzos with ice cubes to heating the beans before blending them, with very little success. Fortunately, I found this article on Gilt for 'elevated' hummus. I followed all of the instructions exactly (which go against all of my instincts) and it's worth it!
With out further ado, the recipe copied exactly from Gilt Taste:
"1. If you want
great hummus, you must use dried chickpeas--the canned ones will never
become transcendent. Buy the smallest ones you can find, and plan ahead
to soak them overnight.
2. Soak and cook the
chickpeas with a little baking soda to make the beans very tender.
Baking soda creates an alkaline environment that allows water to
penetrate the chickpeas more easily; it make an enormous difference,
giving you a hummus that’s as smooth as satin.
3.
Remove all the skins from the chickpeas after cooking. This takes a
while, but it’s a meditative process that I find enormously pleasurable.
Don’t rush it.
4. Cool the chickpeas before you
puree them: The starch crystals in the chickpeas break down more easily
when they are warm; this is not a good thing, since it will make the
puree pasty. Cool your chickpeas, and you’ll have lighter hummus.
5.
Use the best tahini you can find. Its flavor will dominate the hummus,
so if you’re using one that is bitter (like the most commonly available
commercial kind), your hummus will suffer. Taste it before adding it to
the puree; it should be slightly sweet and quite nutty, and it doesn’t
have to be fancy—I use one I buy at a kind of earthshoe / vegetarian
store.
6. Use good garlic - and not too much. The flavor of hummus is so subtle that one bad clove of garlic is a death sentence.
7.
Hummus will keep for a couple of days, but like many things, it is at
its peak the moment it is made. (The great hummus places in the Middle
East all make theirs daily.) Rush your hummus to the table as soon as
you have made it.
8. Serve your hummus with good pita and an array of condiments, allowing your guests to tailor their hummus to their own tastes.
Hummus
1 tablespoon baking soda plus ¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ to ½ cup raw (as opposed to roasted) tahini
1 lemon, juiced
1-2 garlic cloves
salt, to taste
olive oil, to taste
cumin, to taste
1. Put the chickpeas in a colander and go through them carefully, discarding small stones and broken peas.
2. Wash the chickpeas, and put them in a bowl with enough water to allow them to double in volume. Stir in a tablespoon of baking soda and soak them overnight.
3. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and put them in a large pot. Cover with about 5 cups of water (the water should be about 2 inches above the beans) and add the remaining ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. Bring the water to a boil, turn the heat down, cover, and cook over low heat until the chickpeas are very soft; it should take about two hours. If the water cooks away, add more. Drain, but reserve the cooking liquid.
4. Rub the chickpeas between your fingers under cold running water to remove the skins. Put on some music; it’s a time-consuming process.
5. The chickpeas should be cool now. Put them in a food processor with the garlic, and lemon juice, a quarter cup of the cooking liquid and the tahini. (How much you use will depend on your taste; traditionally you’d use about half a cup, but I find that makes the sesame flavor too dominant for my taste.) Process for 4 or 5 minutes, until it is smooth and creamy, with the dreamy texture of just-made frozen custard. It should be very soft and smooth. If it’s too thick add more liquid. Add salt to taste."
BONUS! My proteinaceous tabbouleh
quinoa tabbouleh
1 c quinoa
1.5 c water
as many ripe tomatoes as you can find
fistful of cilantro
bunch of green onions
lime juice from 2 limes
salt
Cook the quinoa over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until it is tender as you like it. Carefully dice the tomatoes, slice the green onion (break up the rings so you don't get big chunks) and finely chop the cilantro.Gently toss the cooled quinoa with the chopped ingredients and lime juice. Salt to taste.
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