Ingredients:
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, plus an additional for serving
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 fat garlic clove or 2 smaller cloves, finely chopped
Pinch cayenne, plus additional for serving
1/3 cup tahini
3 cups cooked chickpeas, preferable cooked up from dried peas
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
Cumin salt or flaky sea salt for serving
Directions:
Combine lemon juice, salt, cumin, black pepper, garlic and cayenne in a food processor. Pulse the mixture a few times until the liquid whirls around just enough to blend together. [The lemon juice dissolves the salt and intensifies the spices, which helps flavors distribute more evenly throughout the hummus.
Drop in the tahini and ½ cup water. Pulse until smooth. Add the chickpeas and puree until smooth and creamy. This might take several minutes, but stick with it. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil until the mixture is combined. Taste and adjust the flavors if you think it needs it; you might even add a pinch of salt.
If you add additional salt, dissolve it first in a few drops of lemon juice or warm water.
Spread the hummus on a plate. Top it with a generous drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a dash of cayenne. Finish with a sprinkling of cumin salt or sea salt and serve.
Notes:
∙ To cook your own chickpeas, soak 1 cup of dried beans overnight in a large bowl of cold water; then simmer in a pot of heavily salted water with 4 peeled cloves garlic until tender, usually about 1 hour. Discard the garlic. If you don’t soak overnight, they will take 2-3 hours to cook. One cup dried chickpeas = about 3 cups cooked.
∙ If you decide to cook your own chickpeas, and are feeling particularly dedicated to your hummus, then consider peeling the skin that clings loosely to the cooked legumes. It isn’t essential, but the creamiest, most genuinely mind-blowing hummus will be the result of this extra, somewhat insane step.
∙ Cumin Salt - In a small skillet over medium heat, toast 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour into a mortar and pestle and add 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt. Pound the mixture a few times until the cumin seeds are lightly crushed. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, roll over the top with a rolling pin.
∙ If you don’t have time to make your own hummus, buy store bought and sprinkle the cumin salt on top, with a nice slick of olive oil and squeeze of lemon.
Resource: Melinda Wolfer (Adapted from cookbook Cook This Now by Melissa Clark, 2012)
