Humus

We were in Israel for a short holiday early August.  The excellent food there encouraged me to prepare several oriental dishes i.e. Humus, Falafel, Pita Bread and Cabbage Salad for our lunch last Sunday.  Humus is an oriental speciality which contains chickpeas and tahini (sesame paste) topped with olive oil, paprika powder and chopped parsley.  The dried chickpeas need to be soaked in water overnight, then slowly simmered for about two or three hours before being blended with tahini. It will be easier and faster if you have a blender.  Sounds like a lot of work but it is worth all the effort because the taste is awesome!  Tastes excellent when eaten with home-made pita bread.

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 cup (250 g) dried chickpeas, to be soaked with water and left overnight
4 - 5 pips of garlic, to be peeled and left whole
1 medium-sized onion, to be peeled and cut into wedges
1 tsp cumin powder (optional)
a few stalks of parsley (optional)

5 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
juice from one lemon
some reserved cooked chickpeas liquid
salt to taste

For garnishing:
olive oil
paprika powder
coarsely chopped parsley

Method:
In a large bowl, soak dried chickpeas in water and leave overnight.  If possible, change the water once.

Drain and rinse chickpeas.  Transfer to a large pot and add cold tap water.  Add onion wedges, garlic, cumin powder & parsley and bring to a light boil.

Cover pot and reduce heat to a light simmer.  Cook for about two or three hours. Once done, pass through a sieve, at the same reserve some liquid for later use. Remove parsley.

Set aside a small  bowl of chickpeas for garnishing.  In a blender, blend the remaining chickpeas together with cooked onion and garlic.  Gradually add tahini, lemon juice and salt to taste.  Blend to a smooth paste.  Gradually, add the reserved chickpea liquid to reach the desired consistency.

Adjust seasoning.  Transfer to a bowl and serve garnished with a drizzle of olive oil, reserved chickpeas, paprika powder and chopped parsley.  Serve with pita bread.

Bon Appetit!