Ultimate Hummus

For Valentine's Day I received a cookbook called "The Science of Good Cooking".  This book is amazing!  It describes all the science behind the cooking and baking techniques.  For a party, Jason and I made the recipe called "Ultimate Hummus" from this book.  It was super yummy!  We've made hummus once before from a different book, but it didn't turn out because we tried to "fast soak".  Chickpeas must be soaked overnight to get the proper texture.  The recipe below makes about 2 cups of hummus.

Image by Jason Hedlund

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried chickpeas, picked over and rinsed
1/8 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp lemon juice
6 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Directions:
1.  Place the beans in a large bowl, cover with 1 quart water, and soak overnight.  Drain.  Bring 1 quart water, beans, and baking soda to boil in large saucepan over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 1 hour.  Drain, reserving 1/4 cup bean cooking water, and cool.
2.  Combine cooking water and lemon juice in small bowl or measuring cup.  Whisk together tahini and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a second bowl.  Set aside 2 tablespoons chickpeas for garnish.
3.  Process remaining chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds.  Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula.  With processor running, add lemon juice mixture in steady stream.  Scrap down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute.  With processor running, add tahini mixture in steady stream; continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.
4.  Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle reserved chickpeas and cilantro over surface, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes.  Drizzle with olive oil and serve. (Hummus can be refrigerated for up to 5 days; refrigerate garnishes separately.  When ready to serve, stir in approximately 1 tablespoon water if texture is too thick).

Jason's Rating: Great!
Beth's Rating: Great!

Original Recipe from this book:
The Science of Good Cooking