Michael's Israeli Hummus

By now, you'll not be surprised to learn that the secret to great Israeli-style hummus is an obscene amount of tehina, as much as half of the recipe by weight, so it's especially important to use the best quality you can find. Unlike Greek-style hummus, which is heavy on garlic and lemon, Israeli hummus is about the marriage of chickpeas and tehina. In fact, there are no other ingredients, just a dash of cumin. The only lemon and garlic involved is in my Basic Tehina Sauce. There are countless variations, but I'm not talking about black bean, white bean, or edamame hummus. Those might be perfectly nice dips, but since hummus is the Arabic word for chickpeas, that's what we use. Remember to leave time for dried chickpeas to soak overnight.

• Ready In: 13 hrs
• Yields: 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1  cup dried garbanzo beans
• 2  teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1⁄2 cups tahini, Israeli, plus a bit more for the topping
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
•  paprika
•  fresh parsley, chopped
•  olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

1. For Israeli tahini, see my recipe for Michael's Israeli Tahina Sauce (http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/michael-s-basic-israeli-tehina-sauce-523932).).
2. Place the chickpeas in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon of the baking soda and cover with plenty of water. (The chickpeas will double in volume, so use more water than you think you need.) Soak the chickpeas overnight at room temperature. The next day, drain the chickpeas and rinse under cold water.
3. Place the chickpeas in a large pot with the remaining 1 teaspoon baking soda and add cold water to cover by at least 4 inches. Bring the chickpeas to a boil over high heat, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pot, and continue to simmer for about 1 hour, until the chickpeas are completely tender. Then simmer them a little more. (The secret to creamy hummus is overcooked chickpeas; don't worry if they are mushy and falling apart a little.) Drain.
4. Combine the chickpeas, tehina sauce, salt and cumin in a food processor. Puree the hummus for several minutes, until it is smooth and uber-creamy. Then puree it some more!
5. To serve, spread the hummus in a shallow bowl, dust with paprika, top with parsley and more tehina sauce if you like, and drizzle generously with oil.