Hummus with Paprika and Whole Chickpeas

 This hummus + pita chip was a Sunday venture after I saw this recipe from Food & Wine’s Annual Cookbook 2009.

Click to Buy ( < $5)

 After making it, I’ve decided it’s the only way I’m making hummus again. The texture was smooth and perfect, and the taste was divine. I, of course, needed something to serve with the hummus, so I made some homemade pita bread. There’s nothing like a fresh pita from the oven, I have now learned. The pita recipe I found was from NYTimes.com. I just found it googling. 

Of course, you can store-buy the pitas, it would be a thousand times easier, but I just wanted a Sunday project. It totally paid off, in my opinion. And it won’t be the last time I’ll make these puffy, soft, delicious little guys.  It wasn’t difficult, just a matter of having a little extra time… (isn’t it always??) I’ll link my pita-venture here when I get it posted. 

Anyways, onto the recipe:

Here’s what you need: 

Dried chickpeas, baking soda, garlic cloves, extra-virgin olive oil, cumin, tahini, lemon juice
salt, paprika, & parsley

For the hummus, I covered the 1/2 lb. dried chickpeas in a bowl with 2 inches of water and soaked them overnight with 1 tablespoon of baking soda in order to soften them up (this tip from the cookbook). Refrigerate overnight.

Soak dried chickpeas with baking soda overnight

Drain the chickpeas and rinse with cold water.

Place chickpeas in a medium saucepan and cover with about 2 inches of fresh water. Add garlic cloves (no need to peel right now) and bring to a boil.

Bring to a boil, then simmer

Simmer for about 40 minutes, until tender. Drain chickpeas with a colander and reserve 6 tablespoons of the cooking liquid and 2 tablespoons of the chickpeas. Rinse them under cool water again and peel the garlic cloves. 

In a food processor, puree the chickpeas with 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) of the cooking water, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, and 6 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup tahini, cumin, and lemon juice until creamy. Season with salt and transfer to a serving bowl.

Wipe out food processor (or use a smaller one) and add the rest (1/4 cup) of the tahini, 1/4 cup of olive oil, the rest of the (2 Tbsp.) reserved cooking water, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, and garlic clove and puree. 

Using a ladle, indent the center of the hummus.

Add the tahini-lemon mixture to the middle and sprinkle with cumin and paprika. Garnish with reserved whole chickpeas and parsley.

Serve with pita chips (here’s a homemade recipe if you’re adventurous!)

Hummus with Paprika and Whole Chickpeas