I absolutely adore hummus. It’s one of my favorite go-to recipes when I entertain guests as it’s the perfect appetizer for everyone: vegans, vegetarians, non vegetarians, lactose intolerant, gluten-free.
I also love having it in my fridge for a healthy snack or to garnish my dishes to instantly add a good source of vegetable protein :: proteina vegetale and fiber. In short, hummus rocks.
The word hummus is an Arabic word meaning “chickpea.” Do you know how to pronounce “chickpea” in Italian? Test your knowlege or learn a new word by watching this short video:
When I was living in the states, I always had a tub of hummus in the refrigerator that I bought from the store. I never made it homemade. Why? Two reasons: It was convenient, and I didn’t have a food processor. I can’t believe I never tried to make it in my blender :: frullatore. After all, you are able to get optimal results, it costs a lot less and you can whip in up in just 5 minutes.
I made this hummus recipe during a food tour in New York City with Smeg, and it was raved about from all who tried it, in particular, by a woman from Lebanon, a country in the Middle East where this dish originates from. (The exact country of origin of hummus isn’t known, but chickpeas were first cultivated in the Middle East :: Medio Oriente.) This is how our conversation went:
Woman: “What are you making?”
Me: “Hummus. Have you ever tried it?”
Woman: “Oh, yes. I am from Beirut.”
Me: “Wow! Well then, you are an expert.”
Woman: “I believe so. Let me have a spoonful of your hummus. I’ll give you a few pointers on how you can make it better.”
Me: “I would love that! Thank you so much.”
{The woman tries the hummus.}
{Silence}
{The woman’s eye light up, she smiles.}
Woman: “It’s simply perfect. I’m impressed. Great job.”
Talk about the biggest compliment ever! 🙂
The problem with some blender hummus recipes is that they overload the blender with too much liquid resulting in a runny hummus. To achieve the compact hummus that is perfect to be spread :: spalmato on a piece of bread or scooped up with a raw vegetable, you still need sufficient liquid otherwise it won’t get the mixture blending, but you can’t add too much or it will be running off your carrot.
Simply follow these two tricks for the perfect blender hummus:
1. Put the liquids in the blender FIRST. Add your water, lemon juice and olive oil to the blender before piling on the chickpeas. This allows the blender to easily whip up all of the ingredients together.
2. If the mixture still won’t blend easily, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time. Use a spatula to move the hummus to one side in order to let the water flow to the bottom, then try to blend. If you don’t send the water to the bottom it will just sit on top and the motor will spin.
If you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag #italicanakitchen on facebook, instagram, twitter and pinterest. I love to see your creations and variations!
- ½ cup (118ml) water
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
- 1½ to 2 lemons, juiced
- 2 tablespoons (34g) tahini*
- Two 15 oz (850g) cans of cooked chickpeas, drained
- ¼ clove garlic, peeled
- ⅛ tsp fine salt
- 2 dashes of cumin
- 2 dashes of paprika, plus more for garnish
- 1 loaf artisan bread, toasted and cut into triangle
- Parsley (optional)
- Add the liquids to the blender: water, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.
- Now add: tahini, chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin and paprika. Blend on speed 4 until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add a tablespoon of water, moving the hummus to one side and letting the water flow to the bottom. Blend. If needed, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture can easily blend.
- Taste. If something tastes “off” start by adding more of the lemon juice. Taste. If needed, adjust with more seasoning.
- Put the hummus in a bowl and garnish with a swirl of extra virgin olive oil, paprika and chopped parsley. Serve with toasted artisan bread cut into triangles. Alternatively pita chips and raw vegetables are great, or you can simply use the hummus to garnish your favorite recipes (salads, grains, eggs etc).
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- *Tahini is a sesame seed paste. You can usually find it in jars in the condiment aisle or in the ethnic section of the supermarket.
This post is sponsored by Smeg. I only work with companies whose products I use and love.