Hummus

Drain the soaked chickpeas then cover them with water in a medium saucepan and simmer until soft which should take about 1 1/2 hours.  Once cooked, drain the chickpeas and reserve about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of cooking water.  Reserve about 2 tablespoons of cooked chickpeas for garnish.

Place the chickpeas in a food processor and process for three minutes. Stop the processor then add the tahini.  Process again for 1 minute.  Scrap down the sides of the processor bowl.  Add the garlic, tahini, lemon juice add about 1/2 cup of the reserved water.  The mixture should be medium thick, definitely not runny.  If it's too thick add a little more of the reserved cooking water.

Season the hummus with salt and a little pepper then place in a serving bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and top with a little paprika and cumin if you like. Garnish with the reserved cooked chickpeas and the chopped parsley.

Serve with warmed pita wedges.

Perfect Hummus Tips

Christopher Kimball of Milk Street offers these tips for perfect hummus.

1. Use small chickpeas no larger than the size of a pea.  He suggests the Whole Foods 365 brand of dried chickpeas.
2. Use a good quality tahini.  You can get Kevala Organic Tahini  at Amazon.com.
3. Blend the chickpeas while they are still warm after cooking.  This produces the smoothest, creamiest hummus.

If you want to learn more about Israeli hummus and the truth about hummus being a breakfast food NOT an appetizer, take a look at Christopher Kimball's article in his new magazine, Milk Street.