Homemade Hummus
Last week’s Modern Love column in the NY Times recounted a story of the author’s 2 year old son trying to woo Matilda Ledger by declaring his meal preference, “I eat tummus for dinner!” Well, he may not have won over little Matilda, but, he won me over. In fact, hummus (or tummus, if you have the limited verbal skills of a toddler) and pita is one of my favorite snacks (and sometimes dinners). And, not only is it more economical to make it yourself, it also tastes so much better than the bread and dip you buy at the market.
Hummus
I like my hummus spicy, garlicky and with lots of tahini. Even though I give quantity measurements, everything is really to taste. Add ingredients slowly, purée, and adjust as necessary.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), with half the liquid reserved
- 4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed (or to taste_
- 3-4 crushed chiles (or to taste)
- 2/3 cup of tahini (or to taste)
- Juice of 3 lemons (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil (or to taste)
- Pine nuts (for garnish)
- Ground cayenne pepper (for garnish)
In a food processor, purée garlic, chiles, garbanzo beans, half the liquid from the beans, tahini, olive oil and lemon juice. Stir in salt to taste. Garnish with pine nuts, cayenne and additional olive oil. Serve with pita, crackers, or veggies.
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I love hummus. But still afraid to make it at home because don’t want to mess up my favorite dip. 🙂
I love hummus too (of course)! When I buy it, I always get the Sabra brand. But the great thing about making it yourself, is you can adjust all of the seasonings (tahini, garlic, lemon, etc) to your taste, AND, if you do somehow mess it up (although– it’s super easy, I promise), it really only cost a couple dollars for a container that is about 5 times the size of the one you’d purchase at the store.
I like the restaurant kind. Since you live in Brooklyn, have you tried Mimi’s? Heard it’s awesome (i’ve never been though). What brand of tahini do you use?
I’ve never tried Mimi’s. I’ve heard good things, so I should make the trip, but even though I’m in Brooklyn, it’s a different part of Brooklyn. I have a tendency to be lazy and stay within Greenpoint and Williamsburg.
As for tahini, Al Wadi is really good. I also like the Whole Foods brand.
Cool. Thanks for the info. Brooklyn is so far from me, but it’s definitely a borough I’d love to explore more of. 🙂
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