April 23, 2015
Hummus has become the ubiquitous dip/appetizer everywhere – from home gatherings with friends to restaurant menus. The variety of hummus types abound. Some of our favorite new ones include edamame, red pepper and recently I found a beet hummus for sale in a grocery store in Florida. I still prefer the basic but delicious chick pea hummus.

To me, hummus is best with pita chips or fresh pita. But, I have come to enjoy it as a condiment on sandwiches with some fresh vegetables – or as a vegetable dip for carrots and cucumbers. It will hold up in the refrigerator for at least a week. Nutritionally, hummus is filled with great protein and healthy fats. It is high in fiber and is said to help maintain normal blood sugar levels. This is helpful to those who are watching their weight and carbohydrates.
Appetizers for three on a wednesday night!

 

Here in Toledo, we are blessed with a strong community of folks from the Middle East. Several restaurants offer delicious and authentic Lebanese foods. The core of this food, to me, is traditional chick pea hummus. I have a recipe handwritten onto a notecard that hails from 1995 – so twenty years ago! I began making homemade hummus then and continue to enjoy the same recipe today. My good friend Karen gave this to me – the card is in her handwriting – and it is splashed with lemon juice so the ink has blurred quite a bit. Thankfully, I know the recipe well. Karen in not Lebanese but is a great cook!

fresh and hot chickpeas from the crockpot.

Today for the first time, I am cooking chickpeas from scratch. I have had dried chickpeas in my pantry for quite some time now and decided to try cooking them in my crock pot. This was recommended by a good friend of mine, Helen. She really likes cooking a variety of beans slowly and then portions them up into smaller serving sizes and freezes them in zip lock bags. I plan to use some of the cooked chick peas for the hommus, and some for adding to a vegetarian “bowl” another night this week…not sure any will make it to the freezer.

To me, hummus is best with pita chips or fresh pita. But, I have come to enjoy it as a condiment on sandwiches with some fresh vegetables – or as a vegetable dip for carrots and cucumbers. It will hold up in the refrigerator for at least a week. Nutritionally, hummus is filled with great protein and healthy fats. It will help stave off hunger and keep you from eating too many carbohydrates. It is high in fiber and is said to help level blood sugar levels.

strain off seeds and pulp

I tend to like a very lemony hummus, but water can be substituted for a fair portion of the lemon juice. I do not own an electric juicer (it might be really nice for this recipe when you juice half a dozen lemons or so) so I use a wooden reamer to get the most juice possible from my lemons. I tend to get some pith too. You want to be sure not to get too much pith as it gives off a bitter flavor. I also like it fairly garlicky. Olive oil will soften the mixture nicely. Please be sure to blend the entire batch in your food processor or blender for a long enough time to get the hummus smooth and velvety. Add salt only after tasting the blended mixture. When I use canned chick peas I never add salt. But, today I did add salt as I did not salt the cooking water in my crock pot yesterday.

you don’t have to finely chop the garlic if you are using a high speed blender.

I give you a quantity variance for each ingredient as exact measurements are not critical. Anywhere in the range that I show will make a good hummus. You can tailor it to your liking.