I love chickpeas and all of its variations, from the classic Greek soup which I have grown up with to the more modern or ‘fingered’ ones. Hummus is for the Middle East what tzatziki and fish-roe mousse are for Greeks. It is a famous appetizer of the Mediterranean cuisine, loaded with proteins, accompanies perfectly your veggie bowls or your falafels. It is an amazing spread for your favorite sandwiches, crackers, or Arabic pita bread, whereas it is ideal for those who are lactose or gluten intolerant.
See below two well-known hummus variants, that will impress all around the table with their colors: with beetroot or avocado.
You will need:
- 2 medium-size boiled beetroots cut into cubes OR 2 big ripe avocados
- 2 teacups boiled and well-drained chickpeas
- 1/2 teacup tahini
- 1-2 cloves of garlic (according to your preference)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- peel from one lemon
- juice from 1-2 lemons (according to your preference)
- 1-2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)
- salt and pepper
- Fresh finely chopped coriander and chili flakes optional for garnish
Instructions:
- Soak the chickpeas overnight into a bowl with water and a little salt.
- In the morning, drain and rinse them well. Then boil them till they become very soft, almost for 1 1/2 hours (less time needed if you boil them into a pressure cooker).
- Drain them again and keep their water.
- Put the chickpeas, the tahini, the garlic, the lemon juice, the beetroot cubes OR the avocados and the spices into the blender, mix well. Add some of the chickpeas’ boiled water if the mixture is too thick.
- Taste it and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil on the top before you serve it.
Tips:
Do not forget to keep the water from the boiled chickpeas in case you want to thin out your hummus
and
Mash the boiled chickpeas when they are still hot enough, it is important (chef’s secret).
