Saturday, August 7, 2010

Hummus tip from the Vegetarian Times

I've made a lot of hummus in my day. Starting with a recipe from the original Moosewood Cookbook and moderating and using other recipes from there. I've used a regular blender, the vita-mix, a food processor, and a mini chopper. So it never tastes exactly the same, but it's always pretty good.
This month's Vegetarian Times features an article on Hummus Perfection. I've kind of gathered that starting with dried chickpeas usually comes out better than using canned, but even then sometimes it's better than others. The trick is to blend the chickpeas when they are STILL WARM. Who knew it was so simple. It does seem to make a difference. The hummus was super creamy and lush. I let it come down to room temp, topped it with some Zatar and enjoyed with some cucumber slices.


I began subscribing to Vegetarian Times again when I became vegan 2 years ago. There's a really subtle shift to vegan recipes. You'll still find recipes with an egg or two, Parmesan cheese or yogurt, but without coming right out and saying it, I'm noticing lots more recipes, articles, and even the ads are vegan.

Today's Hummus

1/3 cup tahini
2 TBS olive oil
1 cup chickpeas drained (mine were previously soaked, cooked, frozen, thawed, then warmed by pouring boiling water over them and letting them sit for 10 min)
2 TBS lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water

In the mini-food processor add all ingredients in order and process until smooth. Let come to room temperature or chill in the fridge.

6 comments:

peggy said...

i read that article too. i haven't tried the tip though. my key to creamy hummus is blending the tahini and water first to make frothy before any other of the ingredients are added. works everytime :) i do think ill try the VT tip at some point..

Sindy said...

I have yet to try it with dried chickpeas- thanks for passing along the tip about blending it when it's warm.

sara said...

i can never get my hummus as creamy as the store-bought kind -- i'll have to try this tip!

River said...

I saw the article on Hummus Perfection and I've been looking forward to making my own perfectly creamy hummus too! :)

Jenny said...

I gave you an award on my blog - you don't have to do anything with it, just a little shout-out!

Monique a.k.a. Mo said...

Thanks for the tip! That hummus looks delicious!