Creamy, Dreamy Hummus, a recipe on Food52.

I love Hummus!  Let me qualify that, I love easy, textured, Hummus! Today I am passing along a recipe for Hummus from Food52 titled “Creamy, Dreamy Hummus From Ottolenghi Test Kitchen” . When I first attempted to make Hummus for the first time I used this as a guidepost, (as I do with all recipes), knowing it would be altered and personalized in the process.  Hummus is easy to make; chickpeas, tahini, garlic, salt, lemon juice, food processor, olive oil to finish.  Everything in between is up to you-cook beans from scratch or canned, leave skins on or off, ingredient amounts.

I chose the easy way: process canned beans with the skins on and a little on the chunky side (I’m a fan of texture and maximum fiber (skins), a good thing!) The ingredient amounts here were fine as a starting point but ended up going heavier on the tahini and lemon juice-cannot provide amounts because I don’t measure, it’s different every time and that’s the fun part, making it personal every time!
If you have never tried making Hummus, and you should, this recipe is what you should use, it’s what traditional Hummus is supposed to be.  Use this as a canvas because there are many ways of tweaking it to your, or your guests, taste.  Enjoy and have fun!

Ingredients

• 1 cup soaked overnight in plenty of water and 1 teaspoon baking soda, OR 2 (15 oz/425g) cans of chickpeas, drained (17 oz/480g total)
• ¹/₂ teaspoon baking soda (if using dried chickpeas)
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 pinch ground cumin
• 7 to 9 tablespoons tahini
• 1 garlic clove, minced, or more to taste
• 1 ¹/₂ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
• Extra-virgin olive oil, chopped herbs, toasted nuts, rose harissa or your choice of chile paste, for topping (optional but recommended)

Directions

1. If using dried chickpeas, drain them well after soaking, then put them into a medium saucepan, for which you have a lid, with the 1/2 tsp baking soda and enough water to cover by about 1 1/2 inches/4cm. Bring to a simmer on medium-high heat, skimming the scum from the surface as needed, then turn the heat down to medium-low, cover with the lid, and simmer from anywhere between 30 and 50 minutes. This will differ greatly depending on your chickpeas, so check them at the 20-minute mark. Toward the last 15 minutes of cooking time, salt the water nicely and add the cumin. Cook the chickpeas until they are very soft.
2. Using a slotted spoon or spider, agitate the chickpeas, giving them a gentle shake in the water, allowing the skins to be released and rise to the surface. Discard the skins (don’t worry too much if you don’t catch them all). Skip to step 5.
3. If using canned chickpeas, spread them out between two kitchen towels and use your hands to vigorously rub the towels together for a few minutes. Don’t press down too hard on the chickpeas; you don’t want to crush them. Lift the top towel, to see how you’re doing—the friction should have caused the chickpea skins to be released. Discard the skins.
4. Put the canned (and now peeled) chickpeas into a saucepan with enough water to cover, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of cumin. Simmer for 15 minutes, until soft.
5. Drain the chickpeas over a bowl, saving the water. Put the warm chickpeas into a food processor with 7 tbsp/120g of tahini, the garlic, lemon juice, a couple of ice cubes (scant 1 oz/25g worth), 2 tablespoons of reserved chickpea water and a good pinch of salt. Blitz until smooth(ish), then check on the hummus. You might need more tahini, garlic, lemon, and salt and very likely more chickpea water. Add a bit of each as you need. Don’t be shy about adding more tahini—each brand differs and may require you to use more. Blitz the hummus until very smooth, a few minutes at least. Don’t worry about the hummus being too loose; it will thicken as it sits.
6. When ready, spread the hummus in a shallow bowl, creating a well in the center. (If not serving right away, store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.) Top with a generous glug of olive oil, then personalize your hummus as you wish. We sometimes add herbs, toasted nuts, or rose harissa, but these are just suggestions. Once you get the base right, hummus knows no bounds.

Original recipe here: food52.com/recipes/87555-hummus-recipe-from-ottolenghi-test-kitchen