Hummus is a tangy spread made from garbanzo beans. It is a staple of middle eastern cuisine but it is also extremely versatile, and can be used as a sandwich spread, a dip, or as an accompaniment for a salad.
I’m pretty sure I didn’t have hummus for the first time until I was in college. There used to be a restaurant in downtown Tucson called The Grill. It’s been closed for a while know, but I still proudly wear my grill T-shirt with the logo of a 1950’s-style waitress standing on a speeding rocket, griping the reins around the nose cone with one hand and a steaming pot of coffee in the other. A great logo, although if it was intended to express the speed of service, it was somewhat misleading. That was a different time of life though; we weren’t as concerned with speed of service.
What’s that got to do with hummus? Well, The Grill had an eclectic menu, including a hummus plate. Served with red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, kalamata olives and french bread, the hummus they served was not anything special, but it made a great meal. It’s a dish that I would serve regularly before we had kids (right now it would be a tough sell).
During my time as a cook, made hummus quite often, but always did it on the fly, without a lot of science. Now I’ve taken the time to really go through it and do some test kitchen work and developed a refined recipe. Following this I’ll demonstrate the versatility of hummus, both flavoring, and in use.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons tahini (42 grams)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (11 grams)
- 3 cloves garlic (10 grams)
- 1.5 tablespoon olive oil (18.75g)
- 1 can of garbanzo beans, 15 ounce (425g)
Equipment:
- Food processor
- Rubber spatula
- Small bowl
- Storage container
Preparation:
- Drain and reserve fluid from garbanzo beans
- Combine tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor. Blend until very smooth and creamy, about 1 minute
- Add garbanzo beans to the food processor.
- Blend until smooth, approximately 3 minutes.
- With processor running, gradually add the reserved liquid from the can, until desired consistency is reached. approximately 2/3rds of the liquid.
Nutrition Information:
| 15 Servings | |
| Serving Size: 2 tablespoons | |
| Calories 58 Calories from Fat 28 | |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 3.1 g | 5% |
| Saturated Fat 0.4 g | 2% |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 g | 0% |
| Sodium 6.6 g | 0% |
| Total Carbohydate 5.4 g | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.4 g | 5% |
| Sugar 0.1 g | |
| Protein 2.1 g | 4% |
Food Safety:
Store hummus under refrigeration (between 32 and 41 degrees) for no longer than 7 days.