Hummus

This was my lunch yesterday.  I am so hooked on pickled turnips and hummus I can't seem to get enough of this.  These little cucumbers are called (I think) Persian cucumbers.  The first time I saw them was at the Mediterranean Deli in OKC.  I started buying them last year and I just love them.  The taste is so much better than those huge things at the grocery stores.  These cucumbers are thin skinned, very crisp and has a wonderful flavor.  They are a little more expensive than regular cucumbers but they are well worth the money. Toward the end of last year, I noticed they were carrying them in a few grocery stores.

I tried a new recipe for hummus yesterday and it was good but still not as good as some I have eaten before.  I bought dried chickpeas and soaked them overnight, drained them and washed them off then put in fresh water and cooked them for about an hour and a half.  I have always made hummus with canned garbanzo beans and the hummus was ok but not outstanding.  So I wanted to see if cooking fresh chickpeas would make a difference and I would say that it did.  It's still not the best I have eaten but I'm getting there. 

This is my recipe.

4 cups cooked chickpeas
1 cup liquid from the cooked chickpeas
Juice from 2 small lemons
3-4 tablespoons Tahini
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  You may need a little more of the liquid from the chickpeas (depending on how thick you like your hummus.)  You can make a well in the middle of the hummus put a little extra virgin olive oil along with a little chopped parsley. 

Another variation of hummus that I like is Spinach Hummus.  Just make as above but add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of fresh spinach, chopped and blend.  Again, adjust with liquid from chickpeas if needed.

My recipe for pickled turnips is on a post from November of last year.