Chickpea Hummus with Tahini

Humus is a Middle Eastern -and Mediterranean dish that is often served as a dip or spread along with many other tapas- or meze-style food, such as felafels, lamb koftas, artichokes, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers and flatbreads. There are many recipes and variations of this wholesome dip, but the core ingredients remain the same: chickpeas, tahini paste (roasted sesame seeds that have been crushed to a paste), garlic, olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Truth be told, you don’t actually need a recipe at all! Simply start by adding a cup or two (or as many or few as necessary) of chickpeas and some good olive oil to a blender. Then, gradually add the other “core” ingredients while pulsing the food processor. Taste continuously and keep going until you have a velvety golden paste – it may be as smooth or coarse as you wish. Season with salt and pepper. Serve cold or at room temperature.

This is a perfect make-ahead dish and can be scaled as necessary. My advise is this: Seeing that you are already doing the trouble to prepare this, rather make more than you need as this high-protein dip will keep perfectly well for up to 5 days in the fridge and makes the perfect snack with a slice of sourdough or crackers.

Lastly, be creative! There is no right or wrong when it comes to making humus and almost any combination of ingredients will make for a delicious dip. I often make a Roasted Red Pepper Humus as a variation or to serve alongside the traditional version. Simply add slices of oven-roasted red capsicums to the blender with all the other ingredients.

My “Recipe” Quantities:

•  1 cup cooked, rinsed and drained chickpeas
• 40 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 30 ml tahini paste
• 20-25 ml olive oil
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp grounded cumin
• 1/2 tsp grounded paprika
• Salt & pepper to taste

Blend everything together until a golden, smooth (or coarse) paste is formed and everything is thoroughly combined.

Serves roughly 6 people.