Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 can 19 oz / 540 grams chickpeas/garbonzo beans ( see notes on soaking/boiling/gas )
- 2.5 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt ( use 1/8 tsp less if using table salt )
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil ( plus another tbsp for garnish )
- 3-4 tbsp tahini ( optional )
- 3 tbsp ice-cold water, or ice cubes add more after processing if it seems dry
Garnish
- 1/2 tsp paprika for garnish
- some sprigs of parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Start with 2.5 tbsp olive oil and the rest of the main ingredients in a food processor or blender, and puree.
- If the mixture seems too dry, and more olive oil.
- Plate, garnish, serve. It's that easy.
Notes
- You can soak the chickpeas overnight, but I find that boiling (starting with cold water) for 45 minutes, drain, and cool in a large bowl of ice-cold water 3" above the chickpeas, rub off the hulls, and scoop them off the top - they float. This has the wonderful side effect of making you a bit less gassy. The tradeoff is less fiber and an extra hour of prep time. You can also boil 6-ish cloves of garlic with the chickpeas to make them much more mellow and buttery.
- Ultra-hardcore method for the smoothest hummus is to take 500 g dried chickpeas, soak them overnight, rinse and drain, put in a pot with 1 tsp baking soda, cover with 2" of water, and bring to a boil. The foam that appears needs to be stirred back in. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 1/2 hour, then put a lid on and cook another 30-60 minutes. Remove the lid and allow any excess water to evaporate. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool completely. Puree 4 minutes in a food processor (scrape sides every minute), and add (one at a time): 70g ice until lighter and smooth, 250g tahini until fluffy, 75 ml lemon juice & 2 tsp salt. Adjust to taste. Here's where we can add garlic, cumin, or any other flavourings.
Pita
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tsp active yeast
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, stir the warm water and yeast together. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes
- Add everything else, and knead for 8-10 minutes. When the dough pulls cleanly away from the bowl, it's kneaded enough.
- Put the dough in a clean bowl (if needed), lightly coat with more olive oil, cover, and let rest in a warm area for an hour, or until doubled in size.
- Gently punch the dough down to deflate it.
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece out into rounds approx 8-9" diameter, and 1/4" thick.
- Warm a skillet (preferably cast iron) to medium-high heat. Drizzle olive oil, and wipe off any excess.
- Cook a pita round for 30 seconds, or until bubbles form.
- Flip and cook 1-2 minutes, until large spotted circles form on the bottom.
- Flip again and cook 1-2 minutes - this is when the pita should puff up.