Restaurant Style Hummus

On Friday I posted these homemade pita chips, and today I'm bringing you the hummus that accompanied them.  I know some people aren't so keen on hummus and I will admit that I used to be a passenger on that train of thought.  I think it's a texture thing.  That and the thought of ground up chickpeas just isn't that appealing.

But I promise if you'll just give it a chance you'll end up quite enthralled.  Swear.  What's interesting is that most people who claim not to like it haven't actually ever tried it.  I'm also a former guilty party in that arena as well.  Whoops!

I've only had it before in restaurants, but I figured it had to be pretty hard to mess up, especially since you basically throw everything in a food processor and press a button.  I served mine with pita chips, but it's also good with fresh veggies (think carrots and celery) and spread on sandwiches.

I followed Annie's recipe to a T, but next time I might throw in some roasted garlic or red pepper.  Or maybe add a jalapeno for a bit of a kick.

With football season coming up (!!!) there will be plenty of tailgates to bring this dish to.  Tailgates are usually filled with fattening and sugary (albeit delicious) foods, so this would be a welcomed healthy addition that wouldn't leave you feeling like you're missing out on all the good stuff.  Yes please!

I sprinkled a bit of cayenne pepper on top too.

Restaurant Style Hummus adapted from Annie's Eats
Printable Version
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 C water
6 Tbsp tahini, stirred well
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small glove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
freshly minced parsley or cilantro for topping (optional)

Combine lemon juice and water in small bowl.  Combine tahini and olive oil in separate bowl, whisking to mix thoroughly.

Set aside 2 Tbsp chickpeas for garnishing hummus.  (Optional)

Process remaining chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne pepper in food processor until all ingredients almost fully incorporated, approximately 15 seconds.  Scrape down sides of bowl.

With processor running, slowly add lemon/water mixture through food tube.  Scrape bowl down and process for additional one minute.  Turn processor back on and add oil/tahini mixture through food tube  in steady stream.

Process until mixture is creamy and smooth, scraping down bowl as needed.  Approximately 1 minute.

Transfer to serving bowl and top with chickpeas and cilantro or parsley if desired.  Let stand at room temp for at least thirty minutes for flavors to meld.  Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Hummus will keep in fridge for up to 3 days.  Once refrigerated, let come to room temp before serving again.