Hummus

Name: Hummus
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Precooked chickpeas 1 lb; Lemon juice &frac13; cup; Tahini ¼ cup; Garlic (optional) 1 clove; Extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup; Water to taste; Fine salt to taste; Sweet Paprika to taste; Parsley to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Black pepper to taste; Sesame seeds 3.5 oz; Sesame oil 2 ½ tbsp; Water warm to taste; Fine salt to taste

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Lactose Free
Vegetarian

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 15 min
Serving: 4 people
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Typical of Middle Eastern cuisine, hummus is a sauce made from chickpeas and tahini that is appreciated all over the world! In addition to being quick and easy to make, it is an extremely versatile recipe that lends itself to various types of dishes. Furthermore, being very nutritious, it adapts perfectly to the needs of those who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet. Traditional preparation involves the use of a mortar and pestle, but for convenience and practicality we have preferred to show you the simplest method with a blender. Also for this reason we opted for the ready-made tahini, easily available in all supermarkets, but those who wish will find at the bottom of the recipe the steps to make it at home, starting with toasted sesame seeds. Whatever procedure you choose, once you have obtained the hummus base you can then decide to flavor it to your liking, for example with paprika and parsley, as in our version! Are you looking for some ideas on how to serve it? Hummus is perfect to accompany pita and vegetable sticks as an appetizer or aperitif, but it can also become an ingredient for delicious recipes!

You can also try some tasty and colorful variation of the traditional hummus:

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for about 1.5 lbs ( 700 g) of hummus: Precooked chickpeas 1 lb (500 g); Lemon juice ⅓ cup (90 g); Tahini ¼ cup (70 g); Garlic 1 clove - (optional); Extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup (50 g); Water to taste; Fine salt to taste

For the final touch: Sweet Paprika to taste; Parsley to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Black pepper to taste

For about 5 oz (140 g) of homemade tahini: Sesame seeds 3.5 oz (100 g); Sesame oil 2 ½ tbsp (30 g); Water to taste - warm; Fine salt to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Hummus

To prepare hummus, first drain and rinse the precooked chickpeas, then transfer them to a mixer. Pour in lemon juice 1, tahini 2 and oil 3.

Also add salt 4 and, if you wish, a clove of crushed garlic and deprived of the core. Operate the mixer and blend by adjusting the speed and duration according to the desired result, which can be smoother or more rustic. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water as needed to reach the desired consistency 5: instead of water you can use a little more lemon juice, to accentuate the acidic note, or oil or tahini, for a richer flavor. We opted for a cream with a buttery and light texture 6.

Transfer the hummus to a bowl and garnish with paprika 7, pepper 8, a drizzle of oil and chopped parsley 9 to taste. Your hummus is ready to be enjoyed!

HOW TO PREPARE HOMEMADE TAHINI

To prepare homemade tahini, first toast the sesame seeds in a non-stick pan, stirring often 10. Transfer the toasted seeds in a mortar, add a part of the oil 11 and salt 12 and start pounding with circular movements.

Gradually pour in the rest of the oil and water as needed 13 continuing to pound until you reach a rather smooth and homogeneoustexture 14. Your tahini is ready to be used 15!

Storage

Hummus can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, closed in an airtight jar and covered with a layer of oil.

Freezing is not recommended.

Tips

For the preparation of both hummus and tahini, you can choose whether to use the blender or the mortar: in the second case you will get a less smooth texture but the nutritional principles are better preserved.

If you use the mortar to make the tahini, you can continue with the recipe, gradually mixing the precooked chickpeas and the rest of the ingredients with the pestle.

If you wish, you can customize the basic hummus recipe by adding other ingredients to taste: a pinch of curry or turmeric for example, which will give the cream a more intense color, or mint, coriander, ginger powder, cumin or chili!

You can also enrich the basic recipe with other ingredients to create delicious variations: discover the recipe for avocado hummus, pepper hummus or beet hummus for example! Or substitute the chickpeas to make a tasty lentil hummus.

You can use the leftover tahini to make a delicious Lebanese turmeric dessert, the sfouf! Or you can make babaganoush, a typical eggplant cream of Middle Eastern origin. Try also the Italian version of babaganoush!