Homemade Hummus À La Hawthorne
A lot of the food I prepare is inspired by items my children
have sampled, liked, and brought home, asking if I can replicate said
item. Today’s offering is no
exception. One of my little
Hawthornelets showed up with a tub of undefinable matter and asked if I could
reproduce it. Well, no, not exactly, but
I can do better. And I did. It was hummus – a Middle Eastern side dish
made from chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and tahini (sesame seed
paste). It’s an ideal dip – for parties,
picnics, or everyday snacking. Hummus, literally
“chickpeas” in Arabic, can be served with pita, crackers, crudités, chips, or, as
in my case, with toasted seasoned tortilla triangles. I’m giving you my basic “starter version,”
but know that there is a wide array of regional influences on hummus and
variations in ingredients and preparation.
That said, here’s Rosie’s interpretation – Hummus à la Hawthorne.
Hummus À La
Hawthorne
Rosie Note: When I make hummus, I make a big batch,
using the whole 1-lb. package of dried chick peas (garbanzo beans). This produces over a quart of prepared
hummus. And I always used dried beans,
never canned. The recipe can easily be
scaled down for your purposes.
1 1-lb. package dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans), prepared as described below (2 cups beans)
2 lemons
5 garlic cloves
About ¾ cup tahini paste
¾ - 1 cup neutral olive oil (I use Bertolli Extra Light olive oil for this. It has a neutral flavor and does not overpower the beans.)
¼ -⅓ cup reserved cooking liquid (from the beans)
Kosher salt, to taste
To prepare tahini paste:
3 1.5-oz. packages sesame seeds, lightly toasted (about ¾ cup)
4 - 5 TB Bertolli Extra Light Olive Oil
Kosher salt, to taste
Lightly toast the sesame seeds until golden. Let cool.
Put seeds in mini-processor, add a pinch of kosher salt, and pulse
away. Slowly drizzle in a
neutral-flavored olive oil, processing until the mixture is smooth. Again, I use Bertolli extra light olive oil
since it doesn’t compete with the delicate flavor of the seeds. Use enough
olive oil so you have a pourable finished product. (I like it more pourable than paste.)
To prepare
chickpeas: When I decide to make
hummus, I want it now. I don’t want to
wait to soak beans overnight as most instructions call for, nor do I want to
use canned chickpeas. The reason recipes
call for soaking beans is to reduce the cooking time (a bit of irony in itself
to soak for hours overnight to shorten maybe an hour of simmering), but I’ve
discovered a method to cut back on the soaking and the cooking times. I use baking soda. Pour at least 2 quarts water in a large pot
and stir in 2 teaspoons baking soda. Add
the beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce
to simmer. I simmer about 30-45 minutes,
then drain the beans, refresh the water, and continue cooking until very tender
– another 30-45 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking liquid.
The purpose of the baking soda is to speed up the process.
It raises the pH level of the water, making the chickpeas more soluble, softening
the skins, therefore they cook quicker. The alkaline environment created
by the baking soda helps to dissolve the cell walls by breaking down the pectin
in the beans. The skins soften and the cell walls disintegrate allowing
the skins to be virtually rinsed away. I
get rid of all the skins. This results
in a smoother, creamier texture and a superior finished product.
One way I’ve found to make the peeling quicker and easier, is during the
refreshing of the water. I drain the
beans in a sieve, then put them back in the pot, running cold water over
them. Swish the beans around by
hand. The skins will automatically float
to the top and you simply tilt the pot to let them spill out. Tougher skins, I peel by hand.
To prepare the
hummus:
Place garlic cloves and lemon juice in processor and
pulse away. Add in tahini and prepared
chickpeas and continue processing. I pour some of the drained cooking liquid (¼
- ⅓ cup) into the mixture to thin it out a bit, then I gradually pour in a
neutral oil (¾ - 1 cup) while processing until mixture is a nice purée. Season to taste with kosher salt. Another trick I’ve found for achieving a creamier
and silky-smooth hummus is to purée the chickpeas while they’re still warm.
To serve the
hummus: Spoon out a portion of
hummus into a small bowl and make a depression in the center. Pour in a nice flavorful olive oil to make a
golden pool for dipping. I like Campo
Corto extra virgin olive oil, but you might want to go to a specialty store
where you can taste test the oils and pick out what you like. Then, I like to dress up my hummus by
sprinkling additional seasonings on top. Try a few shakes of cumin and Togarashi
seasoning. Togarashi is a Japanese blend
of dried chili peppers, black and white sesame seeds, poppy seeds, nori
(seaweed), and orange and lemon zests. This is where you can get creative. Try roasted tomatoes, toasted sesame seeds, paprika,
cayenne, red pepper flakes, roasted peppers, caramelized onions, chopped red
onions, sliced scallions, mint and feta cheese, Kalamata olives, basil,
cilantro, or parsley. It’s up to you.
Serve with raw vegetables, crackers, pita toasts,
tortilla chips, or Rosie’s Seasoned
Tortilla Triangles.
Rosie’s Seasoned
Tortilla Triangles
Pour a tablespoon of oil and 3 TB butter onto each of two large rimmed baking
sheets. Place in 300° oven to melt
butter.
Stack about 8 large flour tortillas and cut into triangles.
When the butter has melted, take each wedge and dredge
each side through the mixture, placing on baking sheets. Sprinkle with cumin, cayenne, and Togarashi
seasoning. Bake about 20-30 minutes,
rotating trays halfway, until wedges are crisp and lightly browned. Cool on racks.
Here's my hummus with a golden pool of Corto Extra Virgin Olive Oil, toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onions, caramelized onions, and roasted red peppers.
Enjoy.
