Hummus

By mutzali

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound dried chickpeas
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 7 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 cup tahini, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt
• Paprika, for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• Pita bread, for serving

Preparation

Step 1

In a medium bowl, cover the dried chickpeas with 2 inches of water and stir in the baking soda. Refrigerate the chickpeas overnight. Drain the chickpeas and rinse them under cold water.
In a medium saucepan, cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of fresh water. Add the garlic cloves and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat until the chickpeas are tender, about 40 minutes.
Drain, reserving 10 tablespoons of the cooking water and 2 tablespoons of the chickpeas. Rinse the chickpeas under cold water. Peel the garlic cloves.
In a food processor, puree the chickpeas with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 6 of the garlic cloves. Add the cumin along with 1/4 cup each of the tahini and lemon juice and process until creamy. Season the hummus with salt and transfer to a serving bowl.*
Wipe out the food processor. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of tahini, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of reserved cooking water, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and garlic clove and puree.
Using a ladle, make an indent in the center of the hummus. Spoon in the tahini-lemon mixture. Sprinkle the hummus with the cumin and paprika.
Garnish with the reserved whole chickpeas** and the parsley, and serve with pita bread.
Makes about 4 cups.