classic hummus

My first exposure to hummus was at a Greek restaurant in Monterey, CA, called Epsilon.  Other stuff at this restaurant was great too but the hummus... *sigh*... we would get hummus and flatbread take-out on a regular basis there.  It was awesome!  Since then I have had and made many, many versions of hummus but none of them are as good as Epsilon. 

 This recipe is the closest we have come.  I think I originally found it on cooks.com but I have adapted it significantly over the years.

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

1/3 cup tahini

Scant ¼ cup lemon juice

½ tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

Scant ¼ cup olive oil

½ cup fresh parsley

¼ cup water

½ -1 tsp ground cumin (to taste)

½ -1 cup pinenuts (to the allowance of your pocketbook)

Place all ingredients except for the pine nuts, in a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Add the pinenuts and blend to your desired chunkiness (I like them to be just a little chunky.)  Drizzle with a little extra olive oil for a nice presentation touch.

I have substituted lime juice for the lemon juice, but we didn’t love that flavor as well as the lemon.  Cilantro for the parsley is good.  Granulated garlic for the fresh garlic worked fine.  Pine nuts are expensive and can be left out but I really like them in this.  The original recipe called for paprika instead of the cumin but I really feel like the cumin gives it a more classic taste. 

Of course if you want to depart from classic there are a thousand things you can do with it.  Substitue the garbanzos for black beans or some other bean.  Use roasted red peppers or sun dried tomatoes instead of, or in addition to, the parsley or whatever herb you want, fresh or dry.  Try it with some jalepeno or cayenne or something to give it some kick.  You are only limited by your pantry and imagination.

And then there is the application of it - I love it served warm with warmed  or cold salsa, it makes a great "greek pizza" (spread it on a flatbread round or tortilla and top it with tomatoes, red bell peppers, red onion, olives, feta and broil it 'till heated through) and  it's a great dip for veggies.  Of course, my favorite application is simply classic hummus served warm with slightly toasted flatbread -- can't get much better than that.

White bean hummus with chips and fresh salsa.

Edmame humms in a "greek pizza"