oh hey great

make your own damn hummus

Earlier today, Michele requested a hummus recipe. She likes flavored hummus. I like plain hummus because I love the taste of chickpeas, so here’s the hummus recipe I learned from my mom.

Notes before you begin:

1. I never bother with dried chickpeas. Canned taste fine and like I ever think that much ahead of time.

2. I don’t use jarred tahini. It goes bad too quickly and it’s expensive to waste. Plus, I think fresh sesame seeds you toast yourself taste better - and anyway, once you grind up sesame seeds, you’ve just made your own tahini!

3. You can scale this recipe up as much as you want - just remember the ratio is about one 15 oz. can of chickpeas for one clove of garlic.

OK! Here we go.

15 oz. can chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved in case you need it
1 clove garlic, peeled and, if you want, lightly toasted in a pan with no oil
olive oil
raw sesame seeds
freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt
paprika (optional)

1. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas and garlic. Whir around until combined and they become a paste.

2. As the food processor is running, drizzle in the olive oil, slowly, a small amount at a time, until it reaches the consistency you like. If you want, you can also add a bit of the chickpea liquid.

3. Place the sesame seeds in a small skillet on the stove, over medium-low heat. DO NOT WALK AWAY. DO NOT GO DO OTHER THINGS. STAND THERE AND WATCH THE SESAME SEEDS LIKE A HAWK. You want them to be nicely toasted and golden brown, and sesame seeds go from nicely toasted to burnt very quickly. And burnt sesame seeds are horrible.

4. Sprinkle the seeds in a small amount at a time, along with the lemon juice and salt, pulsing the food processor and combining well, until you get the taste you like.

5. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with paprika, to make it pretty, or add whatever flavors you want.