Have you ever wanted to make smooth creamy hummus like you get in a restaurant? Well, here it is!
The trick is to use a little of the water the beans were packed in, and use a food processor.
It’s a big hit at parties and the bowl is always empty within a few minutes.
| Ingredients: | ||
| 2 | Cans | Chick Peas |
| 4 | Heads | Garlic – I know this sounds scary, but it’s roasted and very mild and people will fight each other for it if you don’t have enough. 😎 |
| 1/3 | Cup | Tahini |
| 3/4 | t | Kosher Salt |
| 1 | Lemon | |
| Sumac (the spice, not the tree), Paprika or Smoked Paprika | ||
- Remove four cloves of garlic from one of the heads. Peel and reserve.
- Slice about a 1/2 inch from the stem end of the garlic heads (the “non-hairy” end) to expose the end of the cloves, place in aluminum foil, drizzle olive oil over the cut ends and roast at 400°F for about 20 minutes or until soft and slightly brown. Remove from oven.
- Place a strainer over a small bowl and empty the chick peas into the strainer.
- Save the liquid and put the chick peas into the food-processor
- Microwave the lemon for 20 or 30 second until warm, not hot, then roll it around on the counter to soften it. This lets you get more juice out of it.
- Slice the lemon in half, put the strainer over the food processor and squeeze both halves through the strainer into the bowl.
- Add the tahini, the two cloves of reserved (not roasted) garlic and salt to the food processor.
- Start the food processor and add small amounts of the reserved bean liquid from the can, until the mix starts circulating freely, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Continue processing until very smooth, adding more liquid if necessary. It should be about as soft as pudding.
- Taste and check the seasoning (garlic, tahini, lemon and salt) and texture.
Note: You may need to add a little more seasoning or process it a little more, since it looks smooth before it feels smooth in your mouth. - Place the hummus in a nice serving bowl, then squeeze all the roasted garlic out of their papery skins over the top. Also drizzle any olive oil that collected in the foil. Roasted garlic is very mild and if you just mix it in, nobody will know it’s there.
- Sprinkle a little sumac (the spice, not the plant!) or paprika over the top.
- Squeeze out the roasted garlic and place in a small pile, on top, in the center.
- Cover tightly and chill overnight. The flavor improves greatly after chilling.
- Serve with warm pita bread. Note that the “warm” part is important. Cold Pita bread tastes like old shoes. Warm Pita bread is soft and wonderful. You can heat it up in an oven or a dry cast iron pan, or even better, brush with a little olive oil and toss in to a hot grill for a few seconds.
Note that because the chick-peas have a relatively mild flavor, the amount of seasoning you add will have a big impact on the flavor. Be sure to check and add more if necessary.
The garlic flavor will intensify slightly in the refrigerator, so if it’s a little mild initially, it will probably be perfect the next day.
About sumac: Sumac is a traditional middle-eastern spice. Poison sumac is a plant that grows in North America and elsewhere.
They are NOT the same thing. You want the tasty spice, not the deadly shrub.
45 Weight Watcher’s Points Plus for the entire recipe