Zahav Hummus Recipes

5-MINUTE HUMMUS

Steps:

• Drop the 1/4 garlic clove into a food processor and add the lemon juice. Pour the tahini on top, making sure to scrape it all out of the container, and add the salt and cumin. Process until the mixture looks peanut-buttery, about 1 minute. Stream in the ice water, a little at a time, with the motor running. Process just until the mixture is smooth and creamy and lightens to the color of dry sand.
• Add the chickpeas and process for about 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go, until the chickpeas are completely blended and the hummus is smooth and uniform in color.

ZAHAV'S HUMMUS 'TEHINA'

Steps:

• In a bowl, cover chickpeas by at least 2 inches of cold water. Add 1 teaspoon baking soda and let soak at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse.
• In a medium pot, cover soaked chickpeas by at least 4 inches of water. Add the remaining teaspoon baking soda and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium high and let cook at a vigorous simmer until chickpeas are quite soft, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (Overcooked chickpeas are the secret to creamy hummus, so don't worry if they start to break down a little.) Drain.
• While chickpeas are cooking, make the tahini sauce. In a blender, combine the lemon juice, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let mixture sit 10 minutes. Add tahini, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the cumin, and blend until a thick paste forms. Add 1/3 to 2/3 cup ice water while blender is running, a little at a time, until sauce is smooth. You're looking for a perfectly smooth, creamy sauce.
• Add the warm, drained chickpeas to blender with tahini mixture. Blend until perfectly smooth and not at all grainy, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl occasionally. This blending may take upward of about 2 minutes; just keep going until the mixture is ultracreamy and fluffy, adding a little water if you need it to make the contents of the blender move. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt, lemon juice and/or cumin as needed.
• To serve, spread the hummus on a plate, dust with paprika, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley.

HUMMUS

Steps:

• Basic Tahini Sauce: Break up the head of garlic with your hands, letting the unpeeled cloves fall into a blender. Add the lemon juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend on high for a few seconds until you have a coarse purée. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes so the garlic can mellow.
• Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large mixing bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Add the tahini to the bowl, along with the cumin and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk the mixture until smooth; the sauce will lighten in color. Whenever the tahini seizes up or tightens, add ice water bit by bit (about 1.5 cups in total), whisking energetically until you have a perfectly smooth, creamy, thick sauce.
• Hummus: After your chickpeas have soaked overnight (at room temperature with 1 teaspoon of baking soda and plenty of water), they should be doubled in volume. Drain and rinse under cold water. Place the chickpeas in a large pot with the remaining teaspoon of baking soda; add cold water to cover by at least 4 inches. Bring the chickpeas to a boil over high heat, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pot, and continue to simmer until the chickpeas are completely tender, about 1 hour. Then simmer them a little more. (The secret to creamy hummus is overcooked chickpeas; don't worry if they are mushy and falling apart a little.) Drain into sieve, and press gently to remove excess water.
• Combine the chickpeas, basic tahini sauce, salt, and cumin in a food processor. Purée the hummus for several minutes, until it is smooth, thick, and über-creamy. Then scrape the sides down and purée it some more! Make sure the food processor isn't getting warm; if it does, let it cool before continuing to purée.
• To serve, spread the hummus in a shallow bowl, top with parsley, dust with paprika, and add a generous pour of olive oil. (Note: If you've made the hummus ahead of time and refrigerated it, let it come to room temperature and beat well before serving to restore its smooth, creamy texture.)

OUR FAVORITE HUMMUS RECIPE

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine lemon juice, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. This step mellows the garlic.
• Add the tahini and cumin, and blend until a thick paste forms. While that's happening, add ½ cup of water and a handful of ice into a measuring cup with a spout. Add the ice water in a thin stream until the sauce takes on a whipped, light and creamy texture. It will almost double in volume. It should take anywhere from ⅓ to ⅔ cup of ice water. For a thicker hummus, err on the side of less.
• Add the drained chickpeas, and blend until totally smooth and not at all grainy. This could take anywhere from 2-5 minutes, with some occasional scraping down of the bowl. Sometimes I let it run for extra time, and busy myself with another kitchen task to ensure the smoothest possible hummus. If you need to, you can add in an extra few streams of ice water along the way.
• Season to taste with more salt (I add an additional ¾ teaspoon, for 1 teaspoon total), lemon juice or cumin.
• To serve, dollop the hummus in a shallow small bowl or a deep plate. Go ahead and run your spoon in a swirl to make that jazzy restaurant pattern. You earned it. Sprinkle a pinch of paprika over the top, chopped parsley, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.