Sunday, September 05, 2010

The Hummus Among Us


I need to go to Greece.  ASAP.  I once had a guy named Nicoli teach me how to say "eat shit" in Greek.  Knee-tros Skat-aah (obviously my spelling is off, but that's the phonetic version).  Or at least that's what he said it was.  I was probably going around all night telling people that I had a third nipple for all I know! 

This recipe, my friends, is the opposite of eating shit.  It is the simple, easy-to-clean-up recipe for hummus that I crave on a weekly basis.   

One can of Chickpeas (reserve liquid)
4-8 Cloves of Garlic (I like to burp up garlic for the rest of the day, so I go with 8)
1/2-1 lemon
1/4 cup of Tahini (if you can't find Tahini or you don't want to spend $9 on it, buy one of those natural peanut butters and use the oil that settles on top)
Salt
Olive Oil (about 1/2 cup)
Pita Bread (the fresher the better)
Herbes de Provence (or any dried herb you like)

Here's what you do.  Throw the chickpeas (not the liquid just yet), the garlic, lemon and tahini into a food processor and pulse until pasty.  Start to add in olive oil.  If your hummus isn't getting all smooth and creamy, add in the chickpea liquid until it's reached your desired consistency.  Add salt.  Now here's the fun part.  Taste it.  If you need more garlic, add it.  If you need more lemon, squeeze it in.  This is one of those recipes that you have to stand over the food processor and dip your finger into over and over again until you get that perfect hummus!  I even add a little cayenne to spice mine up!

Once you have made the hummus you would be proud to serve to your friends and family, preheat your oven to 350.  Take out your fresh pita (we are fortunate to live near a store that makes them fresh daily Thank you Jerusalem Market & Restaurant on Summer Avenue) and spray the top with a very light coating of PAM.  Sprinkle Herbes de Provence on the pita and add a little Kosher salt.  Bake for 3-5 minutes, just until the pita is soft and warmed through.

Knee-tros Skat-aah!  Or rather, enjoy your delicious hummus!  

   

No comments:

Followers