Hummus (and tahini)

Hummmmmus

The awesome Middle Eastern dip!

Dibs on the dip! 

I have never been to any Middle Eastern country, although I'd love to, but Ghent is a multicultural city with lot's of different cuisines and that is how I got to know hummus.

Hummus is a puree made from chickpeas and tahini, a sesame seed paste. It is healthy and contains a lot of fiber. However it also contains a lot of fat, but because the fat comes from olive oil, this isn't saturated fat.

Hummus is perfect for aperitif, side dish or even as a vegetarian main dish.

In order to make a good hummus you need tahini. You probably can get this in your local store but it is really easy to make yourself.

You need about 125gr sesame seeds and 4 tablespoons of olive oil.

Roast the sesame seeds in a casserole or for about 5 minuted in a 180°C oven.

Mix the roasted seeds with the olive oil. You should get a paste which is liquid enough to pour. You can keep tahini in your fridge for few weeks.

Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 can (400gr) of chickpeas, drained
• liquid from the can of chickpeas
• 5 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tbs tahini (see text above)
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp olive oil
• you can also add: 1 tbs cumin or a dash of cayenne pepper or ½ tbs paprika powder, ...

Preparation:

Combine all the ingredients, except the chickpea liquid, in a food processor and mix until you have a smooth mixture. Add about 4 to 5 tablespoons of the chickpea liquid and mix again. If the structure of the hummus is to thick you can add more liquid.

Garnish with some parsley.

Serve cold or warm with some toasted pitta bread!

Enjoy!

Hummus garnished with parsley

Hummus with olive oil and cayenne pepper