Basic Hummus from the book "Jerusalem"

[Catherine, The Herb Lady]

Hi Folks,

I love hummus!!  I usually resort to canned chickpeas because I don't want to bother with long cooking times, and a lot of other excuses.

Shine on Yahoo just posted a wonderful easy and quicker way to make hummus from the Chef Team who wrote "Jerusalem"

They discuss the use of baking soda to help breakdown the skins (some purists peel the garbonzo beans!!! - sorry had not heard of that technique).

"We chose Sami's grandmother's way because we believe the friction helps the breaking down of the skins and gets the baking soda to penetrate the skin better," Ottolenghi told me. This brief, direct contact allows them to cook much faster and puree smoother. Without peeling.

Here is the link, but just in case I will put the recipe below.

http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/perfectly-smooth-hummus-140300717.html

Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi's Basic Hummus

From Jerusalem (Ten Speed Press, 2013)

Makes 6 servings

1 1/4 cups dried chickpeas
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 1/2 cups water
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini (light roast)
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, crushed
6 1/2 tablespoons ice cold water
Salt

 1. The night before, put the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with cold water at least twice their volume. Leave to soak overnight. 

 2. The next day, drain the chickpeas. Place a medium saucepan over high heat and add the drained chickpeas and baking soda. Cook for about three minutes, stirring constantly. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cook, skimming off any foam and any skins that float to the surface. The chickpeas will need to cook for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the type and freshness, sometimes even longer. Once done, they should be very tender, breaking up easily when pressed between your thumb and finger, almost but not quite mushy. 

3. Drain the chickpeas. You should have roughly 3 2/3 cups now. Place the chickpeas in a food processor and process until you get a stiff paste. Then, with the machine sill running, add the tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Finally, slowly drizzle in the ice water and allow it to mix for about five minutes, until you get a very smooth and creamy paste.

 4. Transfer the hummus to a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. If not using straightaway, refrigerate until needed. Make sure to take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving. Optionally, to serve, top with a layer of good quality olive oil. This hummus will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.

[Krystal Lynn Bittner]

When i make hummus from canned chickpeas i always rub off as much of the skin as possible. i do this when i rinse them the skin will float to the top.

[Catherine, The Herb Lady]

Krystal - I too find that the skins float to the surface when I rinse the beans - I had just never heard of peeling them before this article :-)