Authentic Hummus Recipes

Steps:

• Rinse the garbanzo beans and and place in a pot. Fill with enough water to cover by at least 1 inch. Add baking soda, if using. Bring to a boil and then simmer over medium heat until the beans are very soft, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Drain the beans, reserving some of the water to use later. Reserve a small handful of the whole beans for a garnish. Transfer the rest to a blender or if you have a hand blender, a large bowl. Blend the beans until smooth, adding 1/2 cup of olive oil gradually. Add some of the reserved water if needed to help it blend. Add the tahini and blend in along with the lemon juice. Blend in the garlic, cumin and salt.
• Spread the hummus into a flat serving dish and garnish with the reserved beans and a drizzle of olive oil.

Steps:

• Drain and rinse garbanzos. Do NOT use can juices for the liquid in this recipe. They 'muddy' the flavour of the end result.
• Put garlic, tahini and salt in a blender or food processor and buzz until ingredients are well mixed (10-15 seconds).
• Add garbanzo beans (one can at a time) and blend after each addition. You can reserve a few whole beans for garnish.
• Add lemon juice and blend.
• Add as much water as you need for the consistency you like. I usually use it all, unless the lemon is ultra juicy.
• Spread hummus on a flat plate. Create a bowl shape by elevating the edges with hummus.
• Drizzle olive oil over the hummus, sprinkle with paprika and garnish with reserved whole beans and chopped parsley.
• Serve with flat Arabic bread. It's nice to toast the bread lightly in the oven.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Place unpeeled garlic cloves in the middle of a large square of aluminum foil. Drizzle cloves with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; wrap in foil. Roast in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool. When slightly cooled, squeeze roasted garlic out of peels.
• Combine roasted garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, salt, and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the work bowl of a food processor. Process until very creamy.