Hummus and Za'atar


 
K Kruger

K Kruger

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Years ago I used to soak dry beans first. Not anymore. Though I still do that for most things I don't for hummus, much preferring to used canned beans, usually organic, because I use some of the liquid from the can in the recipe. I use less garlic than many (though I love garlic I do not want any prominence here); I also use a bit less tahini.

Using a blender makes this very creamy and light.

Hummus


1 (15-oz) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained, saving the canning liquid

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini

1 very small clove garlic or 1/3 medium clove

About 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

About 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


Add all the ingredients to a blender including 1/4 cup of the reserved liquid from the beans. Blend well at low speed then work up to the highest speed. To taste, add:

Salt

A little white pepper

A little more of the reserved bean liquid if a thinner finish is desired. Re-blend; serve.

Typically, one serves smeared thickly on a plate drizzled with a little high quality extra-virgin olive oil. Top with a sprinkling of za'atar (recipe below) if desired. Or:

Flavor variations can be incorporated into the the hummus or plopped on top at serving. Mostly I do the latter. A purée of roasted red pepper (which is easy to add the the mix before blending too), different herb purées or herb oils - which are virtually the same thing - like cilantro and/or parsley, as Ray Benash notes in another thread, or other herbs, chile oil, dried fruit and nut purées, finely minced vegs, minced cooked meat (try lamb, alone or with a little crumbled feta, roasted eggplant or roasted garlic (mashed and puréed in or served on top, tapenade, and so on.

Also note:

You can change the bean type if you wish, for a different hummus version using pinto, say, or navy or yellow- or black-eye. You can also change the nut paste. I was out of tahini a couple weeks ago and made it with almond butter instead. Very tasty.



Za'atar


Za'atar is the nut on hummus.

There are numerous versions. It's one of those closely-guarded-secrets-of-the-family things.

For hummus I use my day-to-day za'atar, which is quite similar to Penzey's, one I would recommend if you don't feel like making it.

My usual:

1/4 cup sumac

3 tablespoons Mediterranean thyme

1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (toast just before mixing)

1 tablespoon Greek oregano

1 teaspoon marjoram (optional)

A little kosher or other coarser salt

Blend well.


Some za'atars do not contain sumac but I almost never make these. On occasion though, one can either replace some or all of the sumac with finely grated orange zest (I usually go with a sumac-zest blend), or replace some or all of any of the herbs with mint or dill. Proportions are totally open to taste on all ingredients. There is no such thing as a set za'atar.

Sprinkle on hummus or on grilled kebabs (whether lamb, beef or poultry, cubed or ground) and/or on the rice accompanying the kebabs; also nice of grilled or roasted chicken. Place a small bowl on the table in case anyone wants more.

Hummus topped with oil and za'atar, with lentil chips and cheese crackers:

photobucket-3426-1315518820697.jpg
 
Thanks Kev. I love good hummus. And I have all the ingredients for making your za'atar as well. My wife makes a very good tabouleh in the summertime. Hummus is the perfect match for it.
 
Thanks, Kevin for posting this. It's good to have the information where it is easier to find.

Coincidentally, this evening I came across this short writeup about hummus in the current issue of Cook's Illustrated:

ACHIEVING SILKY SMOOTH HUMMUS
The key to smoother, creamier hummus is all in the temperature of the beans.
Published January 1, 2012, from Cook's Illustrated

A tip on food writer Melissa Clark’s blog about how to achieve smoother, creamier hummus intrigued us. The tip advises pureeing the chickpeas while they are still warm from cooking rather than letting them cool to room temperature or chilling them first. We wondered if warmed-up beans would also be beneficial when using canned chickpeas (the test kitchen’s preference in hummus). To find out, we made hummus with beans straight from the can and compared it with a second batch incorporating beans that we microwaved for a minute and then cooled to room temperature before processing. The results? The hummus made from warmed beans was significantly silkier than the unheated sample — and remained that way even after being refrigerated.

Here’s why: Chickpeas are high in a starch called amylose that forms large crystals as it cools after cooking, leading to a grainy texture. But exposure to high heat will break the crystals down. There’s no risk of the grainy texture recurring once the hummus is refrigerated, as the oil it contains will coat the individual amylose molecules, inhibiting crystallization. If your goal is to make the smoothest possible dip, then give your chickpeas a quick zap before pureeing.

Rita
 
Make sense. When I made hummus from soaked/cooked beans they were warm, just drained from the pot.

When I use canned I haven't heated them up first. Next recipe I'll warm them through in a pot of water (rinse then add water to cover, the drain) before the puree/mixing step.
 
Thanks Kevin. I just made the hummus and it is so very smooth. I heated the beans in a small pot until warm. Now letting the hummus cool in the refrig to let flavors meld. Will try later today with zatar (from Penzeys). Terri said that she thinks a bit of cumin would really spice it up. May try that after we sprinkle the zatar this evening.
Thanks again K.
Ray
 
Ray, isn't it fun to get on a "kick?"

I just got home from a safari to TJ's for 6 cans of organic chickpeas, whole-wheat pitas (that I plan to make into chips so they'll keep longer without freezing), crackers, etc.

From the last batch of hummus, we used some for lunches and snacks. Gone too soon. It surely beats chips and the usual junk dips for cravings -- not a choice here. I've made hummus before, but this one has captured us all.

I grew up with German parents who didn't know any better, and we always had hearty whole-grain breads instead of the white pap that was so popular at the time. Of course, we had the German sausages too....so what can I say?

Rita
 
We had better breads too. Not that we didn't also have the squishy white <STRIKE>garbage</STRIKE> stuff but at least we had full exposure to good bread.

I dropped squishy white breads when I quit fast food hamburgers, back in the 70s. Don't miss it.

I'm glad you liked the hummus Ray.

That I would take issue with Cook's Illustrated will likely come as no surprise: I'm not buying - at all - the need to warm the beans. Perhaps if one is mashing in a mortar, or using some sort of low speed device to purée, but in a blender one generates heat. I use a Vita-Mix which generates quite a bit of heat, but even a 'regular' blender, if taken to high speed as noted in the recipe, will generate sufficient heat to handle the beans well.

I've never bothered to heat the beans first. Imo, not only is it unwarranted if one is using a blender, but it adds yet another step and more time (one can always trust CI to make rather silly recommendations then 'back them up' as if they were essential) to what should be a rather simple process.
 
Kevin, I'm glad you responded to this. I also have noticed that the hummus mixture is warm when I do it in the Vitamix, which would negate the pre-warming of the beans.

In my opinion, Cook's Illustrated has gone off the deep end in the last couple of years with pseudo-science, but they still do have some recipes worth exploring because their end result is tasty. But then, we are lucky to be able to explore the process with you! Thanks for the input.

Rita
 
Cook's Illustrated and Melissa Clark, the originator of the idea, both use a food processor instead of a blender to make their hummus, which wouldn't heat up the beans as a blender does. It would sure be easier to get the hummus out of a food processor bowl than that blender jar!

My curiosity got the better of me. I did a side-by-side testing of the same ingredients in both a processor and a blender (mine is a Vitamix). I warmed the beans for the processor, but not for the blender.

I had to add quite a bit of the bean liquid to the blender version because the mixture (or was it the blade) cavitated, even though I was careful to increase the speed slowly. This happened quite often until I got enough liquid incorporated to make the hummus flow freely through the blades.

To the processor version, I drizzled the tahini-oil mixture in last, as one would do to emulsify a vinaigrette.

End result: Kevin's blender version was silky smooth and light…and much faster than the processor version. The processor version resulted in a hummus that was on the grainy side even though I let the processor run a reasonably long time. Cook’s and Ms. Clark, both of whom use a processor, claim that their hummus is also smooth, so I might have missed something.

Rita
 
Hmm. I doubt you missed anything. I could be wrong but I don't think so.

I wouldn't even dream of using a processor for hummus - or for anything where a smooth finish is desired, such as creamed soups, veg purées, et al. They're not designed for that, as one would expect CI and Ms. Clark to know.

Scraping down the sides of the blender (and/or adding additional liquid) can be necessary to facilitate blending depending on blender design and moisture content of the beans.

I use a soup spoon to get all the hummus out of the blender.
 
This recipe isn't all that different from mine. I'm just a little heavier on the garlic. Sometimes I put some fresh coriander in if it's going to be eaten right away. The dash of za'atar is new too (I like!!), usually added a dash of whatever chilli powder type hit my fancy.

Made a double of this today as we were out. Along with a batch of guac for the week.

Warming the beans was the ticket!

Nice and smooth, tasty.

Thanks for the tip on warming the beans. Seems so obvious now
icon_rolleyes.gif


Been using canned garbanzos several years now for hummus, but first time they went into the blender warm.

So much better I was blaming the difference on not starting from scratch until I read this thread and realized that when I made from scratch the beans and liquid were warm as they went into the blender.
 
I've mad the CI recipe with my Kitchen Aid food processor many times. I started microwaving the beans for a minute after the update came out. Not sure if that made a big difference, but it always comes out silky smooth and delicious.

I have not tried it in the blender, but I may do a comparison one day when I feel like washing lots of dishes and eating hummus.
 
this has been my go-to base for hummus for years now anytime I forget how to make it. I forgot to heat the beans, I don't remember doing that ever but I will next time. I'm also ordering za'atar from Penzey's - I've not tried that yet. Just a bump and a thanks.
 
I have tried heating the beans first and really didn't see enough of a difference to warrant the extra step.
 
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