A Moment of Hubris & Homemade Hummus

At 7:00 a.m. yesterday, after finishing my coffee, I poured 7 cups of water and 1 pound of dried chickpeas into my crock pot. I set the timer for 8 hours, selected the low heat setting, and walked away. In the late afternoon, I had super soft chickpeas and a plan to make a lot of hummus.

I made three batches just like the one in the picture. It turned out beautifully, and thanks to the crock pot, the food processor, and the dishwasher, the effort was minimal.  After this large-scale hummus-making experiment, I have decided to get our hummus from home from now on. My hummus is organic (which I can’t find in stores here), and it’s tastier and cheaper. I estimated that it all cost me about $6.00 (equivalent to about 2 small tubs of Sabra hummus).

Homemade Hummus:

(makes nearly three batches)

(method and ingredient proportions adapted from Inspired Taste)

Chickpea Preparation in the Crock Pot

• 1 lb. of dry chickpeas
• 7 cups of water

Hummus

• 8 tbs. of tahini
• 3 lemons, juiced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 tbs. of olive oil
• 2 cups of cooked chickpeas
• 9-12 tbs. of water or bean broth from the crock pot
• Cumin, salt, and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In the morning, pour the water and chickpeas into the crock pot. Set the timer for 8 hours and the cooking heat to low.
2. Later in the day, scoop the chickpeas out of the crock pot with a slotted spoon. Set them on a couple of plates or a cookie tray to cool.
3. For the first batch, put 3 tbs. of tahini and the juice from one lemon (about a 1/4 of a cup) into the food processor. Process until the lemon juice is fully incorporated, stopping the processor to scrape down the sides if need be.
4. Turn the processor on, and drizzle in 2 tbs. of olive oil and a third of the minced garlic.
5. Once that is incorporated, pour in 1 cup of chickpeas and process until smooth. Add another cup of chickpeas, and while they are processing, drizzle a few tablespoons of the bean broth. Eye this carefully. You may need to add more water to get a smooth hummus. Process for at least 30 seconds straight to get a really smooth hummus.
6. Sprinkle in salt, pepper, and cumin while the processor is running. Taste the hummus and add more spices until the flavor suits your palate.
7. Scoop the hummus into a container or multiple containers.
8. Repeat two more times. On the last batch, I had a little less than two cups of chickpeas left, so I reduced the tahini and olive oil by a tablespoon.

I am so excited about the ease of turning a 1 lb. bag of dried chickpeas into this bounty of delicious hummus.

101 Ways to Use Your Hummus in Lunches:

• Dip. Scoop into a tupperware and add oil, paprika, pepper, or olives. Pack pita and veggies and enjoy!
• Thickener. I added plain hummus to a cup of leftover chili last night. It made it perfectly creamy for pouring over rice.
• Sandwich spread. Forget mayo!
• Salad Dressing. 1 tbs. of hummus + 1 tbs. of oil + 1 tbs. vinegar or lemon juice = creamy salad dressing.

For your own research, here are some homemade hummus yea-sayers (and one nay-sayer) from around the web:

• Nay: Bon Appétit‘s article discusses the cost and effort that goes into single batches (made from canned chickpeas).
• Yea: Recipe.com‘s blog provides a simple breakdown on the cost, versatility, and taste of homemade hummus.
• Yea: For those that like the Sabra brand of hummus, you might like Macheesmo‘s detailed overview of cost effectiveness and tastiness.
• Yea: The Smitten Kitchen talks about peeling the chickpeas…I would consider this for a really special batch.

Tags: chickpeas, creativity, homemade, hummus, saving money