I went and made hummus. It was easy as anything ever can be. It was so good that I may never buy hummus from a store again.
The ingredients are few: tahini (more on that later), chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, some fresh herb (like parsley, basil, mint...I used cilantro because I always have it laying about), and whatever else you may want to add (pepper, pepper flakes, olives, roasted pepper...I used tangy spicy banana peppers).
First order of business is the tahini. This is simple. It's just toasted sesame and oil. You can find toasted sesame or just pop them in the oven for a bit. Mind them, tossing them up often, and don't let them brown. Take those sesame seeds and pop them in the food processor and add oil (olive, vegetable or even peanut) until you get a nice thick paste. Not too thick. You want it more of a pourable consistency, as opposed to thick peanut butter style that sticks like glue. This stuff, when you get it right, is really tasty. It'll keep for a few months in the fridge and you could use it on some toast or a bagel or something. I had other things in mind.
In the processor, take that tahini (about 1/3 cup for me) and add a can of chickpeas, 1/4 cup lemon juice, couple of garlic cloves (pop them in the micro for a few seconds to warm and soften them first) and let 'er rip. After it is coarsely blended, add the salt, pepper and whatever else to taste and another tablespoon or so of oil if you think it needs it (I added not quite that much) and blend to a consistency you like. This will keep for a couple of weeks.
The freshness of it was unmistakable and it had great flavor. The toasted flavor of the tahini is a nice, sweet undertone while the bite of the lemon finishes at the end. My version with the peppers had just enough heat to make me comfortable. Next up, I'll have to make my own pitas.
I highly recommend giving a try if you like hummus. If not, I think you should go get a quarter pounder with cheese and a sixer.
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