Hummus

I made my own hummus today.  I heard on The Splendid Table Podcast (NPR) that the good companies peel their chick peas to make the hummus extra creamy.  So I tried it.  I soaked the chick peas overnight, cooked them with a pinch of kosher salt, then peeled EVERY SINGLE PEA... by hand.  (Except the ones I ate when the peels gave me a hard time.)  I think having a good food processor is more important than anything else.  The big question is: Why would I make my own hummus in a country where I can buy a kilo of hummus for about $2.75??  Because I was trying to replicate my husband's new favorite hummus that they sell at the mini-market near my daughter's kindergarten.  And the whole time my husband is asking why I'm bothering.  So I won't do it again... for a while.  It's hard having my husband working at home.  It's hard to surprise him.  Anything I make he knows how much work it took and how many dishes I used.

  

Update, next morning: My husband is enjoying my hummus and decided it's really very good and different from what we buy in the store.  I'm over the disapointment of not getting the world's most creamy hummus even after peeling all those chick peas (and probably throwing away some nutritional content).  So here's the story:

1. Soak chick peas (garbanzo beans) for a while.  I used about 1.5 cups dry chick peas and soaked overnight.

2. Boil/cook/simmer (I don't know what's best) with a little kosher salt.  Cook until they feel soft-ish in your mouth.

3. Drain into a bowl so you can use the flavorful water for the hummus as needed.

4. OPTIONAL: Rinse with cool water and peel chick peas.

5.Throw in food processor or blender (or mortar and pestle, or whatever you have) with olive oil and whatever seasonings you want.  Optional: Hold back some chick peas to garnish.

6. Add chick pea water and/or olive oil to taste and preferred consistancy.

To flavor, try any or all of the following:

salt, fresh lemon juice, tehina, roasted or raw garlic, roasted bell peppers, pine nuts, chilli peppers, zahatar... Please share your own inovations. 

Garnish: I often make roasted red pepper hummus, so I keep some more coarsly chopped red pepper on the side.  Top finished hummus with chick peas, a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of paprika, and something that hints at the flavor, like a dash of zahatar, sesame seeds, bell pepper, pine nuts, etc.

Here is a great post and an authentic recipe from one of my favorite blogs How to Be Israeli.  Be sure to read the comments.  It looks like the readers have some great suggestions I'll have to try next time.