I held a Lebanese cooking class today and one of the dishes we created was Hummus. Hummus is a Middle Eastern dip, made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. The standard garnish in the Middle East includes olive oil, a few whole chickpeas, parsley, and paprika.
Hummus is usually eaten as a dip, with pita bread or as a snack or appetizer with crackers.
The participants in the class wanted to see some interesting varieties of hummus and we created two of the more popular ones – herbed hummus and sun-dried tomato hummus.
After the class the participants took back home what they made and the responses I’ve had from them has been awesome! Enjoy !
Hummus with variations
Ingredients
- 1(19 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 540 mL
- 1⁄3 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Method
- In a food processor, puree together chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, water, oil, cumin and salt until smooth; transfer to bowl.
- Stir in garlic, (Hummus can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.) Makes 2 cups.
VARIATIONS:
- HERBED HUMMUS: Take the traditional hummus. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, 2 green onions, chopped, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
- SUN DRIED TOMATO HUMMUS: Take the traditional hummus and stir in 1/4 cup chopped drained oil packed sun-dried tomatoes.