I love hummus. I have not always loved hummus. I had never heard of hummus until my senior year of high school, and for opening my eyes to such a food, I thank my roommate from Alabama. Until she and I became friends, I thought Alabama was the place where no one wore shoes, went to school, or lived in a house without wheels--a bit like West Virginia, just more humid and less mountain music. Boy was I wrong. Thank goodness for boarding school, because it killed nearly every stereotype I previously held about place or type of person and made me a much more open-minded and compassionate person (alright, I know I'm not the most compassionate person, but I'm much more so than before!).
Focus, Lelan. Hummus. Yes, hummus. Julia and I would go on Deli Runs and pick up the one and only brand of hummus sold in the entire county (not a hot-ticket item in my neck of the woods, and since it makes no economical sense to take up a lot of shelf space with several brands, we had very little choice). We would grab a bag of whole wheat pitas. Those were also the days when I ate peaches in a cup, Trix yogurt, freez-e pops, Pop Tarts, cotton candy ice cream, and Ritz crackers and cheddar cheese like it was my job, so don't go thinking we were being really healthy with the pita and hummus. I was skeptical to say the least, and it did get some taking used to. But once I was on the hummus train, there was no going back.
I tried to make hummus several summers ago when living with my aunt while I had an internship--the work environment was very similar to The Office, and the hummus was a complete disaster. The tahini. Oh the tahini (you know the sesame paste that makes hummus hummus). It was awful. That was all you could taste, and it smelled like body odor. We ditched that, and I thought I'd never make hummus again.
And then, I decided, who needs tahini? I'll make it without that mess. And I did. This time, it was a huge success. I also realized I liked hummus better with white beans; I think they are creamier. I could never get the chickpeas smooth enough no matter how long I pulverized them. I also start with dried beans, which infinitely increases the time from start to finish, but I like being able to control the amount of salt that is added. I also wanted to tackle my fear of dried beans, and this was a great way to do so. It doesn't really matter if you overcook them a little, because you're just going to puree them into smithereens.
This dish is also customizable--you decide what goodies you add. I chose roasted garlic, rosemary, basil, chives, oregano, lemon, but you can add anything sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, a tiny jalapeño for spice, olives, feta, artichokes, spinach. You can have whatever you like. Whatever you do, use good extra-virgin olive oil, since hummus is served chilled and not cooked, you want to be able to taste good oil (not bad oil).
1 1/2 cups great northern beans
extra-virgin olive oil
2 t lemon juice
1 T water
3 cloves roasted garlic (recipe follows)
2 T finely chopped herbs (parsley, basil, dill, chives, rosemary, oregano)
1/2 t salt
heavy turns of the pepper mill
** If you are starting with canned beans, rinse and drain. I re-hydrated a whole bag of beans and had enough hummus to feed an army, so I would advise against this, unless you have an army demanding hummus. The bag didn't look that large, but those beans bloated on up after soaking overnight. I then boiled them for about 55 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool before making hummus, or keep them refrigerated until you are ready to break out the food processor. Since I used the whole bag, I had to make four or five batches.
Place the beans, water, and lemon juice in the food processor. Add the herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper, and process. With the motor running, add the olive oil--about two tablespoons. Taste; add salt, pepper, olive oil, and herbs to taste at this point. Enjoy immediately with veggies (red peppers, carrots, cucumbers, and pita chips or refrigerate until you're ready to serve!
Roasted Garlic
The flavor of roasted garlic is much more developed than raw garlic. It is sweeter and more muted, whereas raw garlic is grassier and harsher. If you want, you may use raw garlic, but the roasted is better. To roast, heat the oven on 400. Take a whole bulb of garlic, and slice the top off. Place the garlic in a foil packet and drizzle olive oil over the top--use about 1 - 2 tablespoons. Wrap it up tightly, and roast for about 40 minutes or until golden brown--as so beautifully pictured below. Once it is finished, open and let cool. Once it cools down completely, squeeze out the cloves and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to use.
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| Pre-roast |
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| Post-roast |
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