Taste of Olney: Hummus

Many cultures claim to have invented hummus, a nutritious paste of chickpeas that people have been spreading on bread, fish, and fresh vegetables since at least biblical times. Some scholars say that Boaz’s invitation to Ruth to dip her bread in “hometz” (vinegar) is a mistranslation of the ancient Hebrew word “himtza” (chickpeas). “Hummus” is the Arabic word for chickpeas, the central ingredient in this week’s healthy yet addictive recipe by our chef Danny Stewart.

The earliest mention of hummus dates from 13th-century Egypt but versions of the low-fat, fiber- and protein-rich dip are found in restaurants and homes across Israel, Palestine, Greece, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.

The main ingredients are chickpeas, tahini (sesame paste), garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil, but some cultures substitute butter for the olive oil or add yogurt or hot peppers.

Some people are turned off by hummus because its texture can be gritty. Danny’s recipe makes a much creamier dip that can be slathered on pita crackers, pita bread, tortilla chips, pretzels, raw vegetables, or even on baked fish or chicken. It is a heart-healthy and filling substitute for ranch dressing or mayonnaise.

Danny whipped up a batch of creamysmooth hummus in the blender after boiling the chickpeas with baking soda to remove the skins. I served it with loads of fresh celery and carrot sticks, green onions, cucumbers, and crackers to two friends as a light supper. We gobbled it up and still had leftovers. All ingredients, including pita bread and pita chips, are available at Stewart’s Food Store.

Suggested ingredients:

2 - 15 oz cans of chickpeas or

1 lb bag of dry garbanzo beans

1 teaspoon of baking soda

4 garlic cloves

1/2 cup of lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup of tahini, stirred well

1/4 cup of olive oil Chopped parsley for garnish

Preparation:

Step 1: Crush the garlic cloves and put in lemon juice. Let the mixture sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Remove the crushed garlic before placing the lemon juice into the blender.

Step 2: Place the canned chickpeas or garbanzo beans in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Add the baking soda. Boil the canned beans for 25 minutes or the dried garbanzos for 45 minutes, until the skins begin to come off.

Step 3: Pour the water off over a colander while holding the beans in the pan, so that the colander catches the skins. Fill the pan with cold water and pour it off two or three times to remove the skins. You can conserve the skins, which are high in fiber, and add them to soup, Danny says.

Step 4: Place beans in the blender with tahini, olive oil, salt and lemon juice (without garlic). Blend until creamy. Reserve some brine from the chickpea can or garbanzo boiling water to add if you want to thin the hummus in the blender. Danny wanted the hummus to have the consistency of yogurt, so he adjusted the recipe by adding more olive oil and lemon juice.

Step 5: Serve in a bowl, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with parsley.

Step 6: Enjoy!