Quite Simply the Best Hummus Ever

I love hummus! Would you believe that when I was younger I only ever ate the shop-bought variety? It seemed far too exotic, when I was first living on my own, to make such a thing, but then I discovered that it only takes 5 minutes to prepare from start to finish. It would take longer if you were using dried chickpeas, which I have tried and given up on. That involves far too much forward thinking with all the soaking, boiling etc. and it probably ends up just as inexpensive to buy a tin of chickpeas, to be honest.

I am not a big fan of tahini. I find that most jars I've ever purchased have ended up being chucked out, three quarters full, because I'd only use it in hummus. I don't make hummus often enough to warrant buying tahini (and I don't care for the flavour), so I adapted this recipe of my own. I use a hand blender to get the right consistency as I find food processors leave the chickpeas a little too chunky for my liking; I prefer a nice, smooth hummus.

If I am making hummus for myself I use two large fat juicy cloves of garlic (I can never get enough garlic, me!) but if I'm making it for the children to eat I only use one small one, as raw garlic can be a bit overpowering for their taste buds. I'm also a big fan of cumin, so I might add a little bit more than the recipe calls for if I'm making this for myself. To give an extra boost of flavour you could always toast a teaspoonful of whole cumin seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat until they start to jump. Grind them to a powder in a mortar and pestle and away you go.

This hummus recipe goes superbly with homemade khobez, an Arabic flat bread and vegetable crudites for a quick, child-friendly, lunch. A good grinding of Shetland Seaweed over the top adds vital trace minerals to my family's diet.

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Hummus

by Elizabeth 

A beautifully flavoured dip for vegetable crudites and bread

Ingredients

• 1 x 400 gram tin chickpeas
• 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• freshly ground black pepper
• Shetland Seaweed Sprinkle
• fresh parsley, to garnish

Instructions

1. Wash and drain the chickpeas well.2. Place the chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, cumin and cayenne pepper in a deep container.3. Puree with a hand blender, adding a little more olive oil if you want a thinner hummus.4. Spoon into a serving dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with the ground pepper, seaweed and parsley, if desired.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: Total time: 5 mins Yield: Serves 2-3