Suddenly I began seeing hummus everywhere I went. I was beginning to wonder if I had selective vision when I went to the grocery story. Then I wondered why I would pass on any recipe created by Ina Garten. Thankfully I wised up and hummus now has become one of the always go-to foods to make as an appetizer or just to have on hand to snack on.
The recipe calls for 6 to 8 dashes of hot sauce. There are hundreds of hot sauces made these days with the most common of all being Tabasco. My zone of experience with hot sauces was pretty narrow. Then one day I discovered Cholula. I was reading a recipe for crab cakes that called for a half teaspoon of Cholula. Again in the spirit of full disclosure here, I hadn't a clue what it was. My first thought was that it must be some sort of an exotic spice. So I go into Peppercorn, one of my favorite stores in Boulder, and asked if they have something called Cholula. When they directed me to the hot sauce section of the store, I was like 'do they know where they are taking me?, did I pronounce it correctly?'. Well the answers were yes and yes. Alas, I looked at the shelf and saw that Cholula was a brand of hot sauce. I was more elated than embarrassed to go from being clueless to being clued in.
The garlic in this recipe is first minced in the food processor. I happen to love garlic, particularly in this hummus recipe. Garlic will permeate the flavor of hummus the longer it sits, of course only if it doesn't disappear when you serve it. If you like a milder flavor of garlic, use four cloves instead of six. Once the garlic is minced you add the rest of the ingredients all at once.
Again, depending on the texture of hummus you prefer, you may choose to add a little more of the reserved chickpea liquid than the recipe calls for, being careful not to add too much. There is such a place as going to far when adding liquid to a recipe. If you have ever been there, you know what that feels like.
When squeezing lemons I really like to use a citrus press as it captures all of the juice while keeping the seeds from invading the liquid. The citrus press from Williams-Sonoma works well and can be used for both lemons and limes. Coming from someone who has too many cooking tools for the drawer space in my kitchen, a two-in-one kind of tool is a treasure.
I once tried to make this recipe in a smaller food processor and made a mess of the hummus. A large bowl food processor gives you a much better finished look and allows you to control the texture. Control here is a good thing.
I have been known to spend up to $40.00 on a bottle of olive oil. For some of you that sounds absolutely absurd, for others who have spent more you might be thinking that's within the zone of reasonableness. In following the old adage 'you get what you pay for', I always had a tendency to steer away from $10.00 a bottle olive oils. Until I tasted the one from Sur La Table. I am sure they are not making any money on this olive oil but rather it is one of their marketing schemes to get you into the store to spend more than $10.00. Whether it is or is not a gimmick, I really don't care. Because this $10.00 bottle of olive oil breaks all of the rules about the relationship between price and quality. You must try this olive oil.
Next to garlic, olive oil makes almost anything taste better. So right before serving, I like to drizzle olive oil over the top as it adds an incredible richness, wonderful depth of the flavor of the hummus. Serving any food in a Simon Pearce bowl makes it look even more appetizing. Serving the hummus in one of my favorite Pearce pieces makes eating it irresistible, even for those who have never heard of a chickpea before.
Recipe
Gameday, Everyday Hummus (slightly adapted from the Hummus recipe appearing in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)
Ingredients
4 to 6 garlic cloves (use 4 if you like only a hint of garlic taste in your hummus)
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, reserving the liquid
1 1/2 teaspoons of Kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini (aka sesame paste)
6 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 large lemons should give you this amount)
2 to 3 Tablespoons of the reserved chickpea liquid
6 - 8 dashes of Cholula or any hot sauce you like
Directions
1. Remove skins from garlic. Drop in food processor and process until minced.
2. Drain chickpeas in a strainer set over a bowl to contain liquid. Measure out 2 cups of chickpeas and place in food processor.
3. Squeeze lemons. Measure out 6 tablespoons of lemon juice and add to food processor.
4. Add tahini, salt, and 2 tablespoons of reserved chickpea liquid to food processor. Process until you get the texture consistency you like. If you like it course, the 2 tablespoons of chickpea liquid is perfect. If you like it a little smoother add another teaspoon of liquid.
5. Place hummus in a bowl or dish. You can serve chilled or at room temperature.
6. Options: Drizzle olive oil over the top before serving. Sprinkle lightly toasted pine nuts over the top.
Note: For an even creamier version of this hummus, remove the skins from the chick peas. Tedious work but worth the effort.
Serving suggestions: sesame crackers (the ones from Trader Joe's are incredible); sliced carrots; pita bread cut in wedges, or pita chips.
It is the middle of January and it also happens to be football playoff season. As someone in my office reminded me in an email 'this is Patriot country, we only cheer for them'. Not sure if they thought that being from the midwest my team loyalties could not extend to any other part of the country or if they just wanted to make sure I did not make a social faux pas when talking about football around here. More than likely the reminder had the more positive intent and was intended to save me from saying something regrettable and foolish.
Instead of eating more high calorie snacks during today's game, I will be happily enjoying a more healthy one. Actually, a more healthy, delicious and wickedly good one. Not sure if hummus and football are words typically used in the same sentence, but hey, maybe there is a place for hummus in the football world of food and snacks. And maybe, just maybe, a midwestern girl can switch her football team loyalties as well.