Simple Trick, Superior Hummus

Hummus. I love hummus. My family loves hummus.

We go through a couple of gallons a month. Seriously, I do not exaggerate. And in the quest to score the perfect hummus, I've eaten it from restaurants, from the store, and have tried a number of variations at home. But today, I learned something.

For the first time in my life, I started hummus today from dry chickpeas. Maybe that's something you've always done, but it was a first for me.  I've always used canned chickpeas. But since we eat so much, I thought I'd try to make it more cost effective by starting with dry beans. I didn't know it would make it taste so much better. That was a bonus. I like bonuses!

Canned chickpeas are always too firm and never seem cooked enough to me. When I made them fresh from dried beans, they cooked quickly after soaking all night and were nice and soft - and much more flavorful! It has inspired me to grow some in the garden this year.

We now have a bucketful of homemade hummus in the fridge that tastes better than store-bought at a fraction of the cost. No secret recipe. I will happily share:

Hummus

Soak 1 pound chickpeas/garbanzos overnight with a lot of water - they swell more than you think.
Adding 1 Tablespoon of baking soda to the soaking pot will help with that not-so-fun gas that beans can give you.

Next morning, bring those babies to a boil and then turn down to low and let simmer until they are soft. And yummy. I'm telling you, they're shockingly good.

For every three cups of chickpeas add:

3 cloves of garlic
9 Tablespoons of Tahini
8 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon of salt
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
(Toss in a handful of spinach for green hummus)

Blend in a processor or blender, adding water to get to consistency that makes you smile. Taste and adjust spices to your liking. Its best to put it in the fridge so that the flavors mingle for a while. Tastes better the next day if you can wait that long.

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