Hummus

By Tamipri

If you're short on time, buy your favorite toppings at the store, but always make the hummus yourself. You'll see that hummus really is much better homemade, and much less expensive. And you can make it several days in advance.

Ingredients

• Hummus:
• 2-3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3 (15 1/2 oz.) cans chickpeas
• 1 1/2 c. tahini paste
• 1 1/2 Tb. salt
• 1/2 c. lemon juice
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• paprika for garnish
• 1/3 c. sliced scallions, for garnish
• Olive Tapenade Topping:
• 1 c. packed fresh parsley leaves
• 1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tb. lemon juice
• 3 Tb. capers
• 1 1/2 c. pitted kalamata olives
• 4 Tb. olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• Roasted Red Pepper Puree Topping:
• 1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tb. lemon juice
• 1 (14 oz.) jar roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped
• 4 Tb. extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and black pepper to taste
• Roasted Garlic Topping:
• 3 small heads of garlic
• 3 Tb. olive oil
• salt to taste
• Serve with: Pita Bread

Preparation

Step 1

In the bowl of a food processor, combine garlic, chickpeas, tahini paste, and salt, and pulse 3-4 times. Scrape down sides of bowl and add lemon juice and water. Puree until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. When mixture is smooth in consistency, add olive oil and pulse until well combined. Keep hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready for use.

For Olive Tapenade Topping: In a food processor, chop parsley and shallot with lemon juice. Add capers, olives, and olive oil, and pulse to rough chop. Season with salt and pepper, and reserve.

For Roasted Red Pepper Puree Topping: In a food processor, chop shallot with lemon juice. Add red peppers and olive oil; pulse until pureed but still a bit chunky. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For Roasted Garlic Topping: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off one end of each garlic head and place on foil square. Pour olive oil over tops, season with salt, and wrap each individually. Bake garlic until completely soft, about 45 minutes. Allwo to cool, then remove garlic from foil and separate heads into individual cloves. Squeeze out center of each clove.

FOR SERVICE: Divide hummus into 3 mounds, either in separate bowls or on one large serving platter. Create a well in the center of each with the back of a spoon. Fill each well with one of the toppings. For garnish: drizzle hummus mounds with olive oil, sprinkle with paprika, and scatter with scallions. Serve with pita bread.