Doug's Hummus (Mideastern or Mediterranean Chick Pea Dip)


 

Doug D

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Doug's Hummus (Mideastern or Mediterranean Chick Pea Dip)

Just about every country in the Middle East, and well as the Mediterranean, has a recipe for hummus, served as a snack or side dish. Made of ground chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), garlic, lemon juice and tahini-- which is a ground sesame seed butter-- it's also naturally SB friendly. Serves 4-8.

1 15 oz. can garbanzos (chick peas)
juice and zest of one medium lemon
2-3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
3 T. tahini (aka tahina, tehina)(sesame paste)
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. fresh or dried parsley
1 t. Kosher salt or 1/2 t. table salt
pinch black pepper
4-6 whole wheat pita breads

You can do this in a food processor, but it comes out best using a high-speed stick-type hand blender such as a Braun. Use a regular-type blender only as a last resort. My description will assume a stick blender.

Drain garbanzos, reserving half the liquid. Place garbanzos and reserved liquid in mixing jar that came with stick blender. Add garlic, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, parsley, and tahini. Blend until pureed. Add olive oil and continue to blend until well incorporated. Warm pita breads in microwave for 30 seconds, and slice each into 6 wedge shaped pieces. Can be served immediately, but also can be refigerated and served chilled. Traditionally served at room temperature on a plate in a broad, shallow mound with the center hollowed out, some more extra virgin olive oil drizzled into the hollow (think hummus moon crater), and paprika lightly sprinkled over all.

If you don't want to spend $2.99 on a jar of tehina (spelling varies), subsitute no-sugar-added peanut butter - not quite the same, but still pretty good. If you do decide to get it, make sure the ingredients state "100% ground sesame seeds". There are products on the market with similar sounding names that are essentially a canned version of the dip.
 
I'm a big hummus fan. In the Middle East it is frequently sprinkled with zatar which I highly recommend. Zatar is a blend of ground sumac, thyme, and sesame. Sumac has a pleasantly sour, warm, taste.
 
Zatar is a fabulous spice blend. Be sure you buy a good quality one, as the flavor differs greatly. Penzey's or World Spice offer the best I've tasted.
 

 

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