Epicure Hummus Recipes

EPICURE HUMMUS

Steps:

• Put all ingredients into food processor, starting with the chickpeas and process until smooth.
• Serve with fresh naan, pita bread, melba toast or veggies.

HUMMUS

Steps:

• On a cutting board mince and mash the garlic to a paste with the salt. In a food processor purée the chick-peas with the garlic paste, the tahini, the lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the oil, and 1/2 cup water, scraping down the sides, until the hummus is smooth and add salt to taste. Add water, if necessary, to thin the hummus to the desired consistency and transfer the hummus to a bowl. In the food processor, cleaned, purée the remaining 1/4 cup oil with the parsley until the oil is bright green and the parsley is minced transfer the parsley oil to a small jar. The hummus and the parsley oil may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Divide the hummus between shallow serving dishes and smooth the tops. Drizzle the hummus with the parsley oil and sprinkle it with the pine nuts. Serve the hummus with the pita.

BASIC HUMMUS

Steps:

• The night before, put the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with cold water at least twice their volume. Leave to soak overnight.
• The next day, drain the chickpeas. Place a medium saucepan over high heat and add the drained chickpeas and baking soda. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cook, skimming off any foam and any skins that float to the surface. The chickpeas will need to cook between 20 and 40 minutes, depending on the type and freshness, sometimes even longer. Once done, they should be very tender, breaking up easily when pressed between your thumb and finger, almost but not quite mushy.
• Drain the chickpeas. You should have roughly 3 cups/600 g now. Place the chickpeas in a food processor and process until you get a stiff paste. Then, with the machine still running, add the tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic, and 1½ teaspoons salt. Finally, slowly drizzle in the iced water and allow it to mix for about 5 minutes, until you get a very smooth and creamy paste.
• Transfer the hummus to a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. If not using straightaway, refrigerate until needed. Make sure to take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.

HUMMUS

Steps:

• Soak for 8 hours or overnight: 3/4 cup dried chickpeas.
• Drain and cook in plenty of water until quite tender, 1 to 2 hours. Drain the cooked beans, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Purée with a food mill or in a food processor or blender.
• Stir in: 1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste), 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 2 garlic cloves, peeled and pounded to a purée, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, Salt.
• Mix until smooth, adding some of the cooking liquid if needed.
• Stir in 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin and cayenne to taste.
• Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil that has been mixed with ground cumin and cayenne.
• For very smooth hummus, peel the chickpeas after they're cooked.