Hummus

As spring rolls in (SO SLOWLY), my thoughts turn to warmer days and lighter dishes. One of my favorite places was a Middle Eastern / Mediterranean restaurant in Alphabet City. They offered an array of tagines and a stunning meze platter of multiple flavors of hummus, olives, pickled onions, a very fiery harissa and various wedges of flatbreads.

As per Wikipedia:

Meze is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in eastern Mediterranean cuisines. It is similar to Spanish tapas and Italian antipasti. A meze may be served as a part of a multi-course meal or form a meal in itself. Meze are often served with spirits such as arak, rakia, raki, oghi, ouzo, or grappa at meyhane and ouzeri or at regular restaurants.
The word meze, used in all the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, borrowed from Turkish meze meaning ‘appetizer’, which in turn had borrowed it from the Persian maze or maza (مَزه) meaning ‘taste’ or ‘relish’.

Also from Wikipedia:

Hummus, is a Middle Eastern dip, spread, or savory dish made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. The standard garnish in the Middle East includes olive oil, a few whole chickpeas, parsley, and paprika.

The earliest mention of hummus was in a 13th century cookbook attributed to the historian Ibn al-Adim from Aleppo in present-day Syria.

Commonly consumed in Middle Eastern cuisine, it is usually eaten as a dip with pita bread. In the West, it is produced industrially and consumed as a snack or appetizer with crackers or vegetables.

As is usual, there is a reason I am posting this at this time: perhaps I am helping a friend of a friend construct an evening meal to share with friends of friends, or maybe I’m being unfriendly and want it all for myself.

Hummus

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, PubGrub, Snack

Cuisine Arabic

Servings 4

Calories 213 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Blender / food processor Powerful

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 can ChickPeas Do Not Drain
• 1/4 Cup EVOO GOOD STUFF
• 4 tbsp Tahini Stir well
• 1/4 tsp Salt Kosher
• 2 cloves Garlic Finely Minced
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice Fresh Squeezed
• 1 tsp Lemon Zest From above
• 1 tbsp Parsley Leaves Fresh, Minced

Instructions

 

• Drain the can of chickpeas into a strainer set over a bowl, reserving the liquid from the can.
• Place all but the parsley and lemon zest into the bowl of the food processor fitted with the blade attachment or blender
• Add 2 tbsp of the reserved chickpea liquid
• Blend or process continuously, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to integrate any large chunks, until very smooth, about 5 minutes total.
• If the hummus is thicker than you’d prefer, blend in more chickpea liquid one tablespoon at a time as needed to reach the desired texture and creaminess
• Taste and season with more kosher salt and lemon juice as needed.
• Scrape the hummus into a bowl, then drizzle with olive oil or top with haressa if desired.
• Garnish with parsley and lemon zest.
• . Serve with warm pita wedges, pita chips, olives, and / or raw vegetables.

Notes

A basic hummus recipe.

One can add other additions

Try these:

• Adding roasted red beets
• Adding Curry powder and cayenne pepper
• Adding roasted garlic
• Adding Cilantro and Pistachio

 

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 3gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gSodium: 152mgPotassium: 90mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 95IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Chickpea, Dip, Gravy

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!