Hummus done right? Start with dried beans.

Nothing says summer in Chicago like lake front bike rides, White Sox wins, and mass shootings. And, from the looks of it, 2 of the 3 are in full swing as of this weekend. With temps hitting a steamy 88 degrees in early April, it seems like the right time to bring out a great recipe for Hummus. N666 is going to be mighty pissed I'm not choosing his mom's authentic Syrian recipe, but I've got to be honest, Vegetarian Times recently published a recipe I have been going ga-ga over. The secret here is to rehydrate dried beans. By doing this (instructions follow,) and using a little baking soda to soften 'em up, you will get a dreamy (can this word apply to hummus?), creamy texture.

For well over a decade, I have tried to replicate the recipes perfected by 2 restaurants – Grape Leaves in Oak Park, Il and Taza in London, England. 

While hummus, like pizza, is rarely horrible, these 2 joints have left me salivating for more. I have followed N's recipe, as well as that of other friends of mid-east descent. They've all been good, yet the texture has always been a tad too coarse for my liking. The VT recipe helps in the texture department, and we cannot eat enough of it.

Reconstituting Beans:

Time: 8 hours overnight soak; 1 ½ hours to cook, mostly unattended (Lately I have been placing the dried beans in a slow cooker for about 6 hours, which does a pretty solid job.  Freezing the beans and defrosting them allows for an easy removal of the skins.  Chick peas without skins= very smooth texture for your hummos.)

Difficulty – a breeze

Ingredients:

16 oz. Dried garbanzo beans/ chick peas (will turn out to be about 3 cups cooked)

1 T baking soda

10 cups of water to soak; more to cook

Process:

1. Measure out beans using a small scale
2. Soak beans in a large bowl of cold water overnight – they will grow
3. Bring a large pan or pot of water to a rolling boil
4. Add beans; reduce heat to low-high. Stir occasionally – you WILL need to add water as it evaporates. Cook for one hour.
5. Add in baking soda – stir. Continue to watch if more water is needed.
6. Remove from heat and strain.  Remove as many of the bean skins as possible.

Hummus Recipe:

Time: 10 minutes, with a food processor

Difficulty – no problem

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked chick peas

1/3 cup of lemon

1 clove of garlic

½ cup of tahini (it seems different brands have different flavor strengths; adjust to your liking)

1 t salt

2/3 cups of water

Process:

1. Puree warm chick peas (just after cooking and straining,) lemon juice, salt, garlic, and 1/3 cup of water.
2. Add tahini, continue to puree. Add more water as needed for consistency.
3. Chill for an hour. Add olive oil, along with other spices (paprika, cumin, and Za'atar spice blend are good options.) Serve with fresh pitas (recipe follows.)

Hummus with olive oil and Za'atar