Bittman's Hummus with Homemade Tahini

After being absent for many months from IHCC, I'm getting back on the wagon with this delicious Hummus recipe by Mark Bittman. The theme this week is GARLIC - one of my favourite ingredients to use!

It's hard to find tahini here in Germany, and I'm sure that if I were to find it, it would be over-the-top pricey. So I decided to make my own with the help of this recipe only that I increased it so suit the amount called for in Bittman's recipe.

Tahini isn't very appetizing to look at and it sure doesn't taste that good either. It has a very thick consistancy and it trickles very slowly. But I must say that hummus wouldn't be hummus without it.

Homemade Tahini
(adapted from recipezaar.com)

3/4 cup sesame seed
3 tbsp EVOO
2 pinches sea salt

1. Toast sesame seeds in a small fry pan for 30-60 seconds over medium-high heat. Make sure to stir frequently or they will "pop" out of the pan. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

2. Place seeds in a blender and pulse 6-8 times (or more) until finely ground.

3. Add the olive oil and salt and process 30-40 seconds or until a paste forms.

4. Store tahini in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Makes 1/2 cup tahini.

I really liked Bittman's recipe for hummus. It is very versatile and you can adapt it to your own tastes. I followed it as written, but next time I will make it with cumin instead of paprika (and use less of it), and increase the garlic from 2 to 3 cloves.

If you plan to serve this the same day, then I recommend increasing the garlic, but if you're going to use the following day, then the garlic taste will intensify, so two garlic cloves is plenty.

After I tried this, I became TOTALLY addicted to it! It is really, really good! This is great on crackers or as a spread in a sandwich. You can also serve this with pita bread (toasted or as is).

Hummus
(adapted from howtocookeverything.com)

2 cups drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans),
    reserving some of the liquid for thinning out hummus, if desired.
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup EVOO, plus some for garnish
2 cloves garlic (or to taste), peeled
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp ground cumin or paprika (or to taste), plus a sprinkling for garnish
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

1. Put the chickpeas, tahini, oil, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor (or a blender for even smoother hummus), sprinkle with salt and pepper, and begin to process; add chickpea liquid or water as needed to produce a smooth puree.

2. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. Serve, drizzled with some olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of cumin or paprika and some parsley.

Makes 6-8 servings (about 3 cups).

Make sure to visit IHCC to see what others have made!

Enjoy!