Groovy Chick-pea! (Hummus)

Hummus

I love hummus! I never used to make my own, always bought it from the supermarket and never thought it would be easy to make. I was wrong, it's so easy and tastes so much more amazing when you make your own.

You can make so many different flavours of hummus, just add a couple of teaspoons to the mixture and blitz, here are a few suggestions;
-Sun-dried tomato
-Caramelised onion (my mum got me into this, she makes a lush one!)
-Pesto
-Olive (I would suggest reducing the salt in the recipe by half a teaspoon when using olives)
-Harissa
-Chipotle
-Beetroot

Another thing about hummus is that it's a great way of encouraging people, particularly kids, to eat veggies - peppers, celery and carrots are particularly nice dipped into hummus and makes it a healthy snack or lunchbox filler.

Hummus normally keeps for up to a week in the fridge, providing it's stored in an airtight container (the flavoured types, keep for around 5 days.)

My recipe is simple and easy. By all means, use dried chickpeas and soak them, but for ease and convenience, I use tinned, they are considerably cheaper too.

Ingredients
  • 400g tin of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
  • 2 tsp tahini
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 6 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
  • x3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 6-8 tbsp of cold water (I prefer my hummus slightly wetter, hence 8 tbsp)
  • Smoked, sweet, paprika (optional)

 Method

  • Put the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon and salt in a food processor, and blitz for 30 seconds. Add the water and blitz the hummus for a further minute or two - you may find that it's easier to turn off the processor, half way through, and spoon the mixture from the edges, to ensure a smoother finish (please, please, please, turn it off from the mains if you do this!)
  • Keep blitzing the mixture and gradually add the olive oil, until all of it has been added, and the ingredients are well combined and smooth.
  • Transfer the hummus to a dish and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on the top and sprinkle with the paprika.