Hummus...cause I like it

So, as Sharona will tell you, I am horrible at multiple things, but one of those things is doing anything with any sort of repetition, schedule or longevity, and that includes blogging.  I do it sometimes, when the mood strikes me, and when I think I have something of value to share.  The reality is, I think I rarely have anything of value to share.  That being said, I thought I would share this little tid bit that I learned recently that has made a drastic improvement in my......hummus.

Now, for anyone that reads this and knows who I am (which I think might be 1 person....possibly 2, and that includes me and my wife, knows that I like food, and I like to cook.  One thing that I like to make is hummus...that delectable smooth bean paste with hints of lemon, garlic (sometimes more than a hint), and sesame seeds.

As anyone that knows food can tell you, food is not just about flavor, it is also texture, scent, appearance, all those things that we appreciate, but perhaps don't identify until after we analyzed.  Well, in the years that I have been making hummus, flavor wise, I have always enjoyed it.  And the pleasure of making something from scratch is always nice....but I had the displeasure of knowing that my hummus was a little more grainey than store bought hummus, and it sort of irked me, but I got over it.  Then the other night I was reading a blog and they had a suggestion about hummus, and it is fantastic.  To think such a small change could bring the smooth buttery texture that I had been craving all this time.

What is it you say?  PEEL THE GARBANZO BEANS!  What?  You didn't know the garbanzo beans had a skin on them?  Well, they do, and if you pop them out of the skins while making hummus, you get that smooth buttery texture.  Who would have known.  Anyways, for those of you that like hummus, are interested in making hummus, and want the texture you get in packaged hummus, I will write the recipe below.  If you don't care about the grainy texture, don't peel the beans...it will save you 10 minutes.

Recipe:

2 15oz cans of Garbanzo Beans/Chickpeas (they are the same thing)
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of lemon juice (usually 1 cap per can of beans)
2 teaspoons of cumin
2 tablespoons of Tahini (I like the Krinos brand, but it isn't always easy to find)
Salt/Pepper to taste
Olive Oil
Water

Drain the beans.  Peel the beans....peel the beans....peel the beans.  Then throw them in a food processor or blender (both work fine).  Blend it up.  Peel the garlic and toss it in with the beans...keep blending.  Throw in the lemon juice and the cumin.  Start to slowly add water until it starts to get a bit of a paste like consistency (maybe 1 cup of water).  Once everything has come together, add a bit of olive oil for flavor and/or texture and voila....hummus.  All in all, it takes about 15 minutes to make, if you don't peel the beans, 5 minutes.

All of the ingredient amounts above are fungible depending on your personal preferences...enjoy!