Hummus!

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

I really love hummus. Spread on crackers, rolled in a wrap with diced cucumber and tomato, spread on a thick bread and topped with sliced cucumbers and bean sprouts, I use it in a variety of ways.

But then there are those super market hummus containers, sometimes added with preservatives, and pricey. So since this spring weekend is anything but springlike weatherwise and I couldn't work outside, I decided to experiment with my first from scratch batch of hummus. And it's a winner!

Many hummus recipes call for cans of garbanzo beans. I instead used dried garbanzos and really started from scratch. While about a dollar for a 1/2 pound compared to $3-4 for two cans of prepared garbanzos, these required 90 minutes of simmering and thus, used energy to do so. But I didn't use the energy required to create the can itself so I guess, I did my part during Earth Week.

So to start presoak the garbanzo beans by either soaking in water over night or putting in a pan with 2" of water over the top of the beans, bring to a boil, boil 2 minutes, then cover, turn off the heat and let them sit for an hour. Drain, cover again with 4" of water, simmer over medium heat for about 60 minutes and then 30 minutes over low heat. The skins will be separating from the beans and they will pierce easily with a knife. Drain the beans, saving the liquid, and put into a food processor.

For seasoning:
1/2 c tahini
4 T fresh lemon juice
3 T olive oil
salt and pepper

And that's a basic hummus. But I spiced it up with:
2 T sweet paprika
2 t hot paprika
1 t garlic powder

Blend in the the food processor until the desired consistency. Add drained bean water if it is too dry. I like mine very thick.

This makes 2 cups so have a plan for how to use it!