Hummus from Dried Chickpeas

3KillerBs's Note:

When I was on WIC I had dried chickpeas rather than canned so I had to adapt the hummus recipe. This basic recipe can be varied by adding black olives, roasted garlic, red peppers, or other ingredients -- just look at the packaged hummus in the deli for inspiration. You can even substitute peanut butter for the more expensive, and sometimes difficult to find, tahini for a budget-friendly variation with a different flavor that some people prefer. It makes a big batch that can be frozen in handy quanities. Best made the day before, but I can never keep my family out of it that long.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 2 quarts

• 1 lb dried garbanzo beans , soaked overnight
• 1 cup tahini
• ¾ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup olive oil
• 6 -8 garlic cloves , peeled
• 1 -2 tablespoon salt , to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

Directions:

1. Bring chickpeas to boiling then simmer about 1/2 hour until tender.
2. Drain chickpeas, reserving liquid. Let stand until cool enough to handle. (Using warm to hot chickpeas makes it possible to process a softer texture that will then stiffen to a nice, spreadable paste).
3. Process in blender or food processor in 2-3 batches according to the size/capability of your equipment. Use enough of the chickpea cooking liquid to get a texture like soft peanut butter.
4. Mix the batches together in a large bowl.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. (If you need more garlic return a half batch to the blender, process it smooth, and stir back into the rest).
6. Pack in freezer containers of an appropriate size for your household.
7. Tip -- This makes a nice hostess gift when attractively packaged.
8. Tip -- Tahini often separates in the can or jar. Rather than trying to mix it in the can then measure it just put the whole can/jar into the blender, whip it up, and pour back the excess.

Reviews

[juliemc44]

This was gr8! I added more tahini, garlic AND cumin. I made it for my daughter who has Celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and she loved it. I took it to work with pita crisps and three people asked for the recipe. thanks so much!

[Cleatuslives]

I love the taste of this. Delicious!

[MathMom.calif]

I used the tahini and cumin. This was good, but I had to cook my beans a lot more than a 1/2 hour. More like 1 hour. And they weren't THAT tender. I think next time I will cook them even longer. My food processor didn't make it real smooth, possibly because the beans should have been cooked a bit longer. I should have used more of the reserved liquid, and possibly more oil as well. It seemed like a good texture when I packed it away, but now it is not so spreadable, but more stiff. I like it, but it seems to need a bit more flavors. I will make again with adjustments and try to add in more flavors (such as roasted garlic or ...?). I made a half recipe which made a bit less than 4 cups. I froze three cups and kept one in the fridge. Thanks for the recipe.