Hummus

Few things make a better snack than hummus.  You can have it with pita or tortillas, crudités, celery -- practically anything; or you can dress it up with pickles and olives for an elegant little meal.  Nearly everyone we know keeps it on hand, and nearly everyone buys it prefabricated from the grocery.  This makes me sad.

The firm, homogenized stuff in those little plastic boxes is a bland imitation of the real thing.  Yet the real thing is easy to make.  It keeps well, and is an order of magnitude less expensive.

These days, I play off a recipe from Mark Bittman (which follows), but you can do a great deal to change it up.  Think pine nuts, roasted red peppers, extra tahini for a richer taste.  Be imaginative.  Anyway, here is a good starting point:

In a food processor, combine:

2 cups chickpeas

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, chopped

juice of 1 lemon


Mix. The resultant paste will be thick. Thin it with water or, even better, the reserved liquid from the chickpeas, till it suits you. Salt and pepper to taste.

A few tips:  Sea salt adds both flavor and texture.  Reconstituted dry chickpeas are tastier and less expensive than those found in a can, and they are cheaper when you buy them in bulk.  This is a great place to splurge on some good olive oil.