Until I made this recipe, I had tasted hummus exactly twice in my life. One time I made a tahini-free hummus for a party simply because I had never heard of this ingredient and therefore did not have it on hand. Let’s just say it was not my favorite dip. I tasted hummus again at a Mediterranean restaurant in Carmel several weeks ago. This hummus was *fantastic* and it inspired me make hummus again. Of course, when looking for a hummus recipe I went straight to Cook’s Illustrated as I knew they wouldn’t let me down. Armed with four rather large jars of Tahini (thanks, Amazon!) I set to work. This recipe does call for a little planning since the beans have to be soaked overnight, but the end results are well worth the effort. If you’re in need of hummus now (and aren’t we all at times?) use a can of garbanzo beans and reserve the liquid. This hummus is smooth and creamy and delicious! This is my go-to snack for busy afternoons. If I have pita on hand, great. If not, I use whole wheat bread or even these fabulous tortillas.
Source: Cook's Illustrated
Ingredients
1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans (otherwise known as chickpeas)
2 quarts water
1/8 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp lemon juice
6 tbsp tahini, stirred well
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 small garlic clove
1/4 tsp ground cumin
pinch cayenne
fresh cilantro or parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Pick through and rinse chickpeas. Place beans in large bowl, cover with 1 quart water, and soak overnight. Drain. Bring beans, baking soda, and 1 quart water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup bean cooking water, and cool.
- Combine lemon juice and bean cooking water in small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together tahini and 2 tablespoons oil in second small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside 2 tablespoons chickpeas for garnish.
- Process chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, add lemon juice-water mixture in steady stream through feed tube. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add oil-tahini mixture in steady stream through feed tube; continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.
- Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle reserved chickpeas and cilantro over surface, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.
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5 responses so far ↓
1 Nicole@HeatOvenTo350 // Jun 17, 2011 at 11:53 am
I only recently started cooking my own chickpeas instead of buying the canned ones. They really do taste better, so I do it if I have the time. I can only imagine how good a hummus would taste with them. I could eat that stuff by the bowlful.
2 Melissa @ Melissa Bakes // Jun 17, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Mmmmm, now I’m craving hummus!
3 Laura L. // Jun 17, 2011 at 10:16 pm
You can make your own tahini too, once your supply runs out. All you have to do is grind up some sesame seeds, olive oil, and a little salt in a food processor until smooth. I like to add a bit of sesame oil also for some additional sesame taste. I like to make it myself because I rarely need much tahini for recipes.
4 Paula // Jun 17, 2011 at 10:42 pm
Ooooh! Good idea! Of course, at this point I’m not entirely sure I’ll ever run out of tahini
5 Jen Leaf // Jun 24, 2011 at 8:01 am
If I wanted Hummus NOW but didn’t have any dried garbanzo beans on hand, would I subsitute ONE can of garbanzo beans exactly for this recipe? Thanks so much…