Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Hummous with a Twist

This post is dedicated to my friend Bar, who taught me the secret to good hummous, and to Amy who kindly requested me to post it.

I first became acquainted with middle eastern dishes when I met my Israeli friend Bar, who among a rich plethora of vocational and travel pursuits, also trained at Cordon Bleu in London. When I asked what the secret to a good hummous was, he whispered, "Arab piss".  While I am sure he was joking, (at least I hope he was), what I have learned most from Bar over the years is how cooking can be a metaphor for life; and that you should do it with great passion and intuition.

Soak overnight one cup of dried chickpeas or employ the faster method which is to bring the chickpeas to a boil, then let soak for an hour.

In a pressure cooker, bring the chickpeas and 1/2 tsp of oil to a boil. Cook at high pressure for approximately 15 minutes. Let cool and rinse.

In deep vessel add the following:
cooked chickpeas
juice of 1 whole lemon
1 small garlic clove minced
3 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp water
3 tbsp virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Using a Braun hand mixing wand, puree the ingredients until it's semi-smooth. If the mixture is too stiff add small amounts of water. You may also use a standard blender, but I have found the hand tool much easier for cleanup.

Set in a serving bowl and for a spicy twist, add a tablespoon of Patak's Madras Masala Paste. Pour virgin olive oil over the top and serve with pita chips or cut vegetables.

2 comments:

  1. that looks yummy! we are fans of hummus and always have some in the fridge!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's good for you!! Thanks for checking in :)

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.