Si Mangia Bene: DIY Hummus

By Kolina

We consume a lot of hummus in my apartment, and as a result, a lot of money is spent on it. We put it on sandwiches, dip veggies in it, and of course we slather it on pita bread. It wasn’t until this week that I came to the realization that it does not have to cost us $8 for a dinky container of quality hummus. The excitement really kicked in when I thought about being able to pick my own flavors. I’m a fan of the standard red pepper flavor, but it loses its excitement after awhile.  You can only consume so much jalapeño hummus before you’re sick of it, and why has nobody ever made a truffle hummus?

So, I took on the very simple task of making hummus myself. It took me all of ten minutes, and turned out great. The only tool you need is a food processor. While that’s an expensive kitchen utensil, it is extremely handy – you can make sauces, fillings, spreads, salsas and more – and it might be worth a shot asking around to see if anyone has an extra one lying around. That’s what I did, and it worked! It turned out my mom has been keeping a food processor in the basement and it was begging for a new owner. I took it home obligingly.

I looked up several online recipes but ended up combining them all. The outcome was to my liking, and I think it’ll be to yours, too! To make your own fresh batch of hummus, follow this recipe (and don’t be afraid to improvise!):

Ingredients:

• One 25 oz. can of chickpeas (or garbanzo beans. Whichever name you prefer).
• One tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
• ½ c water
• ¼ c tahini
• 1 lemon cut in half
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt and pepper to taste (around 1 tsp each)
• Seasoning of your choice (be creative! Spices are a dime a dozen in the grocery stores. Have you checked out the Wedge’s spice selection as of late? Think rosemary, Thai pepper, cumin, or sage. I went with chive)

Directions:

• Strain and rinse chickpeas before pouring into the food processor (make sure processor is clean and ready to use)
• Squeeze half of lemon onto beans (and mind the seeds!)
• Add garlic, tahini, olive oil, ¼ cup water, and the seasoning(s) of your choice
• Blend until the mixture becomes a paste
• Mix with a spatula (you don’t want any straggling beans at the bottom)
• Add the second half of the lemon, ¼ cup water, and salt
• Blend. Taste. Blend. Add water if it’s too dry; add salt if it’s too bland, etc…
• Sprinkle a touch of your selected seasoning on top for a nice finishing touch (cumin and cayenne are also nice to finish with)

There are so many options for a delicious homemade hummus. Ideas I’ve come up with are truffle & honey (don’t knock it ‘till you try it), green pepper & onion, and lemon & cayenne. Please share ideas with me if you’ve got them. Now that I have a ton of tahini, a food processor and enough olive oil to last me a lifetime, I’m eager to keep whipping up some hummus, and I’d love to hear your creative recipes! Send them to me at [email protected].

Buon Appetito!