i used paula wolfert’s recipe which is not exactly well-written but make fantastic hummus. i also consulted a few other sites to round out my hummus research: smitten kitchen’s smooth hummus
Of course, the most famous tahini dip of all is hummus, a dish that has begun to lose its charm, for it has turned into a mediocre deli item. A good plate of hummus is never presented undressed. It should be spread on a plate, then
smoothed down from the middle outward with the back of a spoon to create a wide well in the center. A sprinkle of ground cumin and a little drizzle of olive oil and lemon is then added. An exceptionally pretty presentation is achieved by heating some hot paprika in olive oil until the oil turns red; strain the oil, then drizzle it over half the hummus while sprinkling the other half with a few dots here and there, finally finishing with a thin line around the dish. Makes 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients
1 cup dried chickpeas
1 small onion, peeled
1/4 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice or more to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
Ground cumin, hot paprika, or pomegranate seeds for garnish
Directions
1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in water to cover. Drain; rinse and cook with the onion in water to cover until the chickpeas are very soft. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquor for the dip; save the rest for soup. Set aside l/4 cup chickpeas for the garnish. Discard the onion.
2. Stir up the tahini in its jar with the oil until well blended. Place tahini in blender jar or the work bowl of a food processor and blend the tahini, garlic, and lemon juice until the mixture “whitens.” With the machine running, add the reserved cooking liquor. Add 1 3/4 cups chickpeas and process until well blended. Correct the seasoning with salt and lemon juice. Allow dip to mellow at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. To serve as a dip, spread on a shallow serving dish. Use the back of a spoon to make a well in the center, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with cumin, hot paprika, or pomegranate seeds.
just made it again…i cut up the onion because it was so big but it ended up disintegrating in the cooking liquor. no harm, but there was mushy onion all over the cooked chickpeas. at m’s suggestion, i added 4 cloves of garlic to the cooking liquor. she added 12 cloves of garlic to the vitamix. we only had 3/8 cup of lemon juice and half of that was from meyer lemons. i also only added 3 TBSP of oil – more (up to the 4 recommended) might make it smoother. additionally, we didn’t remove the chickpea skins this time. it was definitely grainier, but not offensive. if we prepare it for a party, i would remove the skins.
i forgot to take a picture of the tahini (i bought it at albertsons, tin jar, green design). i initially used a food processor but it was too runny (thought i used too much cooking liquor) so i transferred it to the vitamix and voila! much better. i added more garlic than it called for – i always add more garlic. m served it with green onions/chives on the side and sprinkled with hot pepper flakes. yum!