ETHEREALLY SMOOTH HUMMUS

Heavenly smooth, plush swirls of lemony, garlic riddled, chickpea-tahini dip.  This is not your Ya-ya's hummus!

Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, Deb of Smitten Kitchen food blog fame.  You rock!!  

Who woulda' thunk, that the simple, and unexpectedly therapeutic act of skinning chickpeas would change my life?   Seriously. 

You see, I love hummus.  But I had no idea, not an inkling, that this long time favorite Greek dip of mine, could, in fact, be ambrosia. 

There's no looking back now.  I already cannot wait to make another batch ..... and another batch....of ethereally smooth hummus that whispers softly, "Swoop me.  Swoop me now!"

It makes sense really.  You know how deliciously good it feels just to be naked?   Same, same for chickpeas.  See....

At this point, I know you don't really want to, but you're already considering possibly, just possibly, peeling some peas they call chick.  Aren't you? 

Sure, sure, it might take an extra 10-15 minutes out of your day, but I promise you it is worth it.  And, you'll be very pleased to know that though this task seems unnecessarily tedious, it is not. 

It is, in fact, quite pleasurable. 

You likely have not even noticed before that chickpea skin, is well, really quite precariously draped there, as if begging to be defrocked.

Each little chickpea, takes but a gentle squeeze, with your thumb and peter pointer, and 'Pop', off comes the skin, and 'Plink', goes the pea into the bowl.  Pop, plink, pop, plink, pop, plink.   Percussive little peas. Ba dum bum ching.

Okay, your turn.  I just know you've got a can in the cupboard filled with chickpeas who would love to go skinny dipping.  Gnarly!

 

ETHEREALLY SMOOTH HUMMUS

1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1/3 -1/2 cup tahini paste
4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 plump garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon sea or Kosher salt
Good quality olive oil, smoked paprika or Hatch chili powder - for garnish

Peel your chickpeas.  I find the easiest way, is to take a chickpea between your thumb and next one or two fingers, and 'pop' the naked chickpea out.  Discard the skin.  Find your rhythm and keep peeling.

In a food processor, blend the chickpeas, until a powdery smooth paste forms, about 1 full minute, scraping down sides.  Do not under process.  Add the tahini, lemon juic, garlic, salt and about 3 tablespoons of the reserved chickpea 'juice'.  Blend until well pureed and the mixture is very smooth, light and creamy.  If you find you want to add a little bit more of the chickpea juice, do so with the machine running, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Transfer the hummus to a bowl and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, longer if you can.  To serve, drizzle it with a little great quality olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika or, our fave, Hatch chili powder.  Serve with warm pita bread wedges or carrot sticks.