For our first recipe we will be showing a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine for Arab Heritage Month. It is... hummus! This first recipe is from Suzy at www.themediterraneandish.com. If you make this tag us on ig @ahs_diversity and tag @themediterraneandish also!
INGREDIENTS:
"3 cups cooked chickpeas, peeled 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 to 4 ice cubes 1/3 cup tahini paste ½ tsp kosher salt Juice of 1 lemon Hot water (if needed) Extra virgin olive oil Sumac"
DIRECTIONS:
1. "Add chickpeas and minced garlic to the bowl of a food processor. Puree until a smooth, powder-like mixture forms.
2. While processor is running, add ice cubes, tahini, salt, and lemon juice. Blend for about 4 minutes or so. Check, and if the consistency is too thick still, run processor and slowly add a little hot water. Blend until you reach desired silky smooth consistency.
. 3. Spread in a serving bowl and add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add a few chickpeas to the middle, if you like. Sprinkle sumac on top. Enjoy with warm pita wedges and your favorite veggies."
TIPS:
1. If starting with dry chickpeas, allow extra time for soaking (overnight) and cooking (2 hours).
2. To cook dry chickpeas: soak chickpeas in plenty of water overnight (water needs to be at least doubled the volume of chickpeas). When ready, drain chickpeas and place them in a medium-sized heavy cooking pot. Cover with water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
3. If using canned chickpeas, make sure they are drained and rinsed. It helps if you also give them a quick 20-minute simmer in a bit of water so they soften well (dry them before use).
4. To peel chickpeas (cooked or from a can): cover cooked chickpeas in hot water and add 1 1/2 tsp baking soda. Leave for a few minutes. Take a handful of chickpeas and rub under running water to remove the skins. Place peeled chickpeas in a bowl.
5.Need to thicken your hummus some more? If for some reason, you ended up using a bit more liquid that you should have, cover and refrigerate the hummus for an hour or so before using. It should thicken up a bit. Otherwise, another trick I used to do is to add 1 to 2 tbsp of Greek yogurt to hummus to also add some creaminess (you would have to blend it again in the food processor). But with this recipe (and tips mentioned above) I have not needed to do this.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and there are more to come.