Hummus.muse

   1 * Ingredients
   2
   3  - 1 cup dried chick peas (or two cans; if using cans, try to find "no
   4    salt added" to avoid making things too salty)
   5  - 1/4 cup liquid from chick peas (or vegetable stock)
   6  - 8 cloves (one head) of [[Roasted Garlic]]
   7  - Medium red bell pepper, roasted
   8  - 2 tsp paprika
   9  - 1 tsp ground cumin
  10  - 1/2 tsp table salt
  11  - 5 tbsp (~1 lemon) fresh lemon juice
  12  - 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (if you can get your hands on it,
  13    [[http://www.palestineoliveoil.org/][Holy Land]] is great)
  14  - 5 tbsp tahini
  15
  16 * Directions
  17
  18 ** Preparing the Beans
  19
  20 Just soak a cup of dried beans at least overnight in a couple of cups
  21 of water. Drain them and throw them into a pot with enough water to
  22 just more than cover them (an extra inch or so seems to be
  23 good). Bring everything to a boil uncovered, and then cut the heat
  24 back to simmer partially covered for about an hour or an hour and a
  25 half (when the skins split easily they have a good texture).
  26
  27 When you drain them save the liquid and use that when blending the
  28 hummus.
  29
  30 ** Bell Pepper
  31
  32 Scorch the skin off of the bell pepper over flame or under a broiler
  33 (optional -- I leave the skins on and notice no difference), and then
  34 [[https://web.archive.org/web/20130527144021/http://www.ochef.com/158.htm][roast the pepper]]:
  35
  36     To roast the pepper, put the cut pieces in a baking dish with a
  37     little oil and pop it into a 400°F (205°C) oven, until the pieces
  38     are tender and slightly browned, about 35 minutes.
  39
  40 Conveniently, this is the same temperature garlic is roasted at, so
  41 you can roast both at the same time.
  42
  43 ** And Now for the Actual Hummus
  44
  45  1. Prepare the beans (or open canned beans).
  46  1. Add beans, roasted garlic, and chickpea water to food processor work
  47     bowl; process for two minutes.
  48  1. Add lemon juice; process for one minute
  49  1. Add tahini, roasted bell pepper, salt, cumin, and paprika; process
  50     for one minute.
  51  1. Drizzle olive oil in while processing for three minutes.
  52  1. Garnish if you desire (minced garlic, capers, coarsely ground
  53     black pepper, and olive oil for example).
  54  1. Take to a gathering of some sort.
  55  1. Watch the hummus evaporate.
  56
  57 * Notes
  58
  59 One time I decided to make hummus for folks and alas! I forgot to soak
  60 beans the night before. My strange friend came to the rescue with the
  61 equivalent amount of home prepared white beans and it was a good
  62 substitute (slightly different flavor, but the spices here really
  63 dominate). I used water from boiling dried tomatoes (slightly
  64 different recipe) as there was no fresh chickpea water on hand and it
  65 was delightful.
  66
  67 I've used cheap blenders, decent food processors, and a
  68 super-expensive blender to make this. It comes out adequately with
  69 most any equipment. You can just blend everything together at a
  70 moderate speed until the consistency is whatever you consider
  71 reasonably smooth, but processing in steps with a good food processor
  72 results in a slightly better texture.
  73
  74 I've done this with and without removing the skins, and I personally
  75 don't think it's worth the effort.
  76
  77