HUMMUS

HUMMUS

Ingredients:

150g DRIED CHICKPEAS (=5,29oz=¾ cup) that will turn into about 335g=11,82oz=1 ⅔ cup once cooked

1 pinch COARSE SALT

30g EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL (=1,06oz=⅛ cup)

½ GARLIC CLOVE

55g TAHINI SAUCE (=1,94oz=3 ⅔ tbsp)

5g TABLE SALT (=0,18oz=¼ tbsp)

8g LEMON JUICE (=0,28oz=½ tbsp)

Method:

Wash the dried chickpeas under running water, then soak them in cold water for about 12 hours.

Drain them, throwing the water away.  Put them in a pot filled with new water and add a pinch of coarse salt. Keep the flame high until it boils and then lower it to minimum. Cover with a lid with valve and let everything cook for about 2,5 hours.

Drain the boiled chickpeas and blend them in a food processor with extra-virgin olive oil while they are still warm. 

Peel the garlic clove and take away its core, then mince it finely.

Squeeze the lemon and filter its juice to eliminate any seed or pulp.

Add minced garlic, tahini sauce, salt and lemon juice to the chickpeas mixture and blend again.

Serve at room temperature sprinkling some paprika and drizzling a little extra-virgin olive oil on top. And if you are looking for something to eat it with, don’t forget it perfectly matches with homemade Pita bread!

I have to admit that Hummus is not an Italian recipe at all, it is typical of the Middle East. But when I first tasted it in a Lebanese Restaurant in London many years ago… it has been love at first sight! I’ve tried to keep the recipe as much original as possible, but I had to lower the amount of garlic to meet the Italian taste. Obviously, everything depends on how strong your garlic is (mine was super-strong).