Ina Garten's Creamy Hummus

  If I were a betting type of woman, I'd wager a bet that there were more hummus recipes on my blog than anything else. I love hummus and find myself somewhat compelled to try all the hummus recipes.

My favorite hummus recipe is Yotam Ottolenghi's Hummus Kawarma with Lemon Sauce, but Ottolenghi's Hummus with Ful is a close second. They are both insanely delicious, but require more time than one has for hummus most days.

I'm therefore always on the hunt for THE QUICK HUMMUS RECIPE utilizing canned garbanzo beans. Ina's Creamy Hummus seemed promising because it included a process I haven't tried yet - which is to simmer the garbanzo beans in a pot of water for 25 minutes, then stir repeatedly to loosen the skins of the beans, over and over for a total of about 5-6 times. The idea being that you drain those pesky bean skins right down the drain and then are able to create a smoother and creamier hummus.

I found the stirring and skinning of the beans a rather satisfying process and I will definitely continue to follow this process in all future hummus recipes. In fact, I highly recommend it! Turns out removing those pesky bean skins DOES IN FACT yield a smoother and creamier hummus.

The problem is, I didn't quite love the flavor of this hummus. Sorry, Ina. I'm quite surprised because most of the ingredients are the same, with the exception of the addition of Tabasco sauce (which I do like, but maybe not in hummus) and also, Ina had me soak the minced garlic in the lemon for about 25-35 minutes while the beans cooked and the skinning process occurred. Soaking garlic in an acid (lemon juice) is supposed to mellow the flavor of raw garlic, but for me it was like the lemon and garlic created a whole different flavor and one I just didn't care for. 

I will not be soaking my garlic in lemon juice or anything else ever again. And, quite honestly, I don't have any desire to mellow the flavor of garlic in anything. Just give me all the garlic straight up!

I would be curious to know if anyone else has tried this recipe from Ina's latest book and if so, did you love it? Did you like it? It's definitely very creamy, but it falls under the 'just ok' category for me.

Adapted from Go-To Dinners

by Ina Garten

Serves 6

2 (15.5 oz) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus extra (3 lemons)

1 tablespoon garlic finely grated on a Microplane (4 cloves)

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus extra for garnish

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup tahini

olive oil

1/4 cup salted, roasted Marcona almonds, roughly chopped

Toasted pita triangles, for serving

Combine the chickpeas, baking powder, and 6 cups water in a large saucepan, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover, lower the heat, and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, combine the 1/2 cup lemon juice and the garlic in a small bowl and set aside.

Drain the water and any chickpea skins that have floated to the surface, leaving the chickpeas in the pan. Add cold water to cover, stir vigorously to loosen more skins, and again drain the water and skins that float to the top. Repeat 5 or 6 more times, until most of the skins are removed. Drain the chickpeas and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, setting aside 2 tablespoons of whole chickpeas for the garnish. Add the lemon and garlic mixture, Tabasco, paprika, 1/4 cup warm water, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Process until very smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the tahini and 2 tablespoons olive oil and puree for one full minute, until creamy. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of extra lemon juice to taste, 1 teaspoon salt, and enough warm water (1 tablespoon at a time) to make the hummus the consistency of yogurt. Taste for seasonings.

With a rubber spatula, spread the hummus on a large flat serving plate or shallow bowl, leaving a 2" border. Sprinkle with the reserved chickpeas and almonds. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with paprika, and serve with toasted pita triangles.

Recipe Reset @ IHCC