hummus.  blended up chickpeas.  should be easy to make at home instead of spending $3-$4 a tub, right?

well, any time we tried to whip some up the texture & taste were just…off.  we constantly ended up with pasty hummus that either tasted too chickpea-y or too tahini-y.  it wasn’t working for us & i had just about oked myself with adding a “prepared hummus” line to our budget, when the mister’s sister & fiancé gave us the gift of CLASS {& shopping!}, at a local gourmet mecca.

scanning the list of upcoming classes, there were some pretty interesting ones, but nick malgieri‘s caught my eye.  the lineup was a nice mix of basics that we have yet to fully master, like shortbread, flatbread & hummus {!}, along with some more advanced recipes, like a rum punch cake that would require taking at least three days off of work to create, plus, they would be serving wine…so yeah, there’s that.

we went, we shopped, we drank, and now?  we can make hummus!{hummus trio}

i really think the key to a light & creamy hummus is starting from dried chickpeas & adding the reserved cooking liquid.  & good olive oil.  i don’t mean to get all ina garten on you, but this is the time to splurge a little, since the flavor doesn’t all get cooked out.  a bright & fruity sicilian does the trick nicely.

the recipe below is for a classic version, but from there, the variations are endless…toss in some roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, kalamata olives for a briny twist.

my favorite combination includes diced pickled jalapeños, a pinch of red pepper flakes & a sprinkling of cayenne pepper.

makes 5 cups

1 lb dried chickpeas
1 medium onion, peeled & halved
4 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
1/2 cup tahini (sesame) paste
generous teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. put the chickpeas in a large bowl, or dutch oven. cover with water & let sit overnight.

2. drain & rinse the chickpeas. transfer to a large pot, if they weren’t in one already. cover with fresh water, just enough to cover & add the halved onion. cook over low heat until very soft, about an hour. reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the chickpeas & onion.

3. on a cutting board, mince the garlic, add the kosher salt & using the blade of your knife in a sort of flattening motion, mash the garlic into a paste. add to the bowl of a food processor with the tahini & lemon juice & process until it’s combined & whitened in color.

4. with the food processor running, drizzle in the reserved cooking liquid & olive oil. stop the machine, add in the chickpeas & cooked onion, then process until very, very smooth. taste & season with more salt & lemon juice if necessary. serve at room temperature & store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.

adapted from nick malgieri