Hummus is, hands-down, my favorite dip- I will preach it until the end of my days.  I grew up in an area that had heavy Middle Eastern influences and was hooked.  While living in Turkey, it was difficult to find, and I had to learn to make it myself.  Turns out, it’s easy.  After a few trials, we created a technique that worked for us and beyond satisfied our craving for Lebanese spreads.  The basic recipe combines chick peas, olive oil, cumin, and lemon, but any herbs and vegetables can be added for flavor preferences.  Enjoy with chips, crackers, pita, or on sandwiches.

Prep time: 24 hours (soaking), 2 minutes (chopping)

Cook time: 1 hour, plus cooling time

Ingredients:

• 2 c/250 g chickpeas
• 1 jalepeño/ 1/4 of a small (300 g) jar, washed and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 freshly squeezed lemon (adjust for your acidity preference)
• 1/2 c water
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp cumin (more to taste)
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

*Soak chickpeas overnight in 3 c of water (covered) overnight.

Pour chickpeas into a medium-sized pot with 3 1/2 c of water.  Allow to boil for one hour.  Drain and rinse chickpeas with cold water, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.  For a slightly smoother consistency, remove skins from the chickpeas once they have adequately cooled.  This isn’t necessary, and abstaining from the extra 10 minutes of work still produces a tasty dip.

Combine chickpeas, jalepeño, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to a food processor/electric chopper.  Blend for one minute, pulsing frequently.  You will need to add water to the mixture in order to obtain a desirable texture.  Do this in small increments (1 tbsp at a time, with 10-20 seconds of pulsing in between).

Scoop into a small bowl, and serve with crackers, chopped raw vegetables, or crostini.

Serves 4