Hummus (Chickpea & Tahini Purée) Recipe

By Fine Cooking staff | Fine Cooking Issue 10

Servings: six to eight.

This makes a wonderful dip for vegetables and, of course, pita bread. If you cook your own chickpeas, make sure they’re very tender.

Ingredients

19-oz. can chickpeas, or 1 cup dried chickpeas that have been soaked and cooked until very tender
1/2 cup tahini (sesame-seed paste)
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt to taste
Olive oil for drizzling
Cayenne for sprinkling

Preparation

If using canned chickpeas, drain them, reserving the liquid, and rinse them. If using dried, cooked chickpeas, drain them and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

Purée all the ingredients in a food processor until very smooth, adding the reserved liquid as needed. You should have a medium-thick paste (if it’s still too thick, thin it more with water). Season with salt. Transfer the hummus to a shallow bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with cayenne. Serve with pita bread or raw vegetables.