Cook this: Israeli Tahini Hummus
Jared Finkel/Calkins Media
Shereen Pavlides prepares Israeli Tahini Hummus.
Shereen Pavlides prepares Israeli Tahini Hummus.
For this week’s Cook This, chef Shereen Pavlides makes Israeli Tahini Hummus.
Note: before you begin preparing this recipe, you’ll need to soak the chickpeas 8 hours or overnight.
Or, you can substitute drained, rinsed canned chickpeas (Goya brand recommended).
Please note: if you’re using any dried legumes in other preparations and you want them in their whole form, do not use baking soda. The baking soda destroys the appearance of the legumes but makes for the ideal bean puree.
Yields: 2 3/4 cups
1/2 pound dried chickpeas (1 1/4 cups) — (Goya recommended)
1 teaspoon baking soda — divided
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves
1/2 cup unsalted tahini (if using salted, adjust salt and pepper below)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
kosher salt / fresh finely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil plus extra for garnish
paprika — sprinkled for garnish
1 tablespoon roughly chopped Italian parsley
8 warmed pocketless pita — cut into wedges
Soak the chickpeas in 3-4 cups cold water with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, (filling 2 inches above the chickpeas) fully submerging and leaving room for them to increase in size.
Cover and let soak 8 hours or overnight.
Drain. Rinse.
Place chickpeas and 6 cups cold water into a 4-quart pot with the remaining baking soda (1/2 teaspoon).
Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim and remove the froth, reduce heat to medium-low and cover until the chickpeas are very, very tender and slightly falling apart about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. The chickpeas at this point should be super soft. Drain (do not rinse). Season and toss the legumes with 1 teaspoon salt.
You can make up to 3 days ahead and store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature before making the tahini hummus.
Add lemon juice and garlic into a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, puree until chunky smooth, 15-20 seconds, scraping down the sides as needed. Add chickpeas, tahini, cumin, cayenne, season with 1 teaspoon salt and 5 turns on the pepper mill.
Puree while slowly drizzling 3 tablespoons oil through the feed tube until incredibly smooth, 3-5 minutes.
Scraping down the sides as needed. Season to taste. Note: If the hummus is too thick, add a little water while pureeing.
Remove desired amount of hummus to a shallow, rimmed bowl, spreading over the bottom. Sprinkle with paprika, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the top and garnish with parsley. Serve with warmed pitas wedges.
For best results serve immediately or can keep up to 3 days stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature and stir before serving.
Pressure cooker directions:
Using a pressure cooking set on high pressure.
Add pre-soaked chickpeas, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 6 cups cold water into the insert, filling halfway.
Drizzle a little canola oil into the water and stir to dissolve the baking soda.
Set pressure cooker to 12 minutes on high pressure.
When complete, use the quick release. Drain the legumes (do not rinse). Follow the directions above to make the tahini hummus.