homemade hummus with roasted chick peas

 (chick peas: continued...)

hummus

is one our favorite foods,

and homemade hummus is the very best.

a quick lunch or snack...
a great sandwich spread...
the substance we need on "snack dinner" nights...

starting with dried chick peas requires a little forethought,
but it is well worth it.
here's what i do...

at night:
put 4 cups of dried chick peas in a pot with a lid.
fill the pot with water & soak them overnight.

in the morning:
drain & rinse the soaked chick peas.

☼{here's where i remove some of them to sprout}☼
☼{...see yesterday's post...}☼

return the soaked chick peas to the pot,
fill it with fresh cold water & bring it to a boil.

skim off the foam (yuck),

turn down the heat & simmer for a few hours

until the chick peas are tender.

add salt only after they are cooked, but still hot.

(adding salt too early can make them tough, i've heard)

now, i have a HUGE pot of tender, cooked chick peas,
just the same as (but WAY better than) canned.

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make the switch
from canned chick peas:
a normal can of cooked chick peas holds about 1 3/4 cups.
i freeze the cooked chick peas (undrained) in 2 cup containers.
(well, more is more, right?)

when i'm ready to use them, i take them out of the freezer

and rinse with cold water to thaw

(you could warm them on the stove or microwave them).
once your freezer is stocked, they are as easy as canned.

after thawing, i season with olive oil, salt & pepper
and toss on top of almost every green salad.

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finally...
hummus!

a scrumptious blend of:
cooked chick peas
tahini (sesame seed butter)
lemon juice
garlic
olive oil
salt & pepper

thank goodness that this spread
is almost as common now as onion dip was in the 70's.
making your own is so much more delicious
than even the best hummus you can buy in any store.

do you want a recipe?
(tell me if you would like a real recipe... i will find one.)
i just start adding & tasting.

for this batch i used:
6 cups of cooked chick peas
(plus a little reserved cooking liquid)
about 3/4 cup of tahini
juice of 3 lemons
4 HUGE garlic cloves (equiv. to 8 or 10)
a drizzle or 2 of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

i only have a small food processor
so i used my stick blender.
(not recommended: had to put it outside cool off)
use your cuisinart or equivalent
to blend all ingredients until smooth.

serve with toasted pita bread
sliced cucumbers
chopped tomatoes
carrot sticks
roasted chick peas (recipe below)
...garnish with a little fresh parsley, olive oil, & paprika...
(as my friend virginia says, GOR-jus!)

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roasted chick peas

preheat oven to 425°
drain & rinse & pat dry cooked chick peas.
(i use 2 cups.)
spread the chick peas on a pan (something with sides).
drizzle with olive oil.
season with salt & pepper.
(i also add paprika, garlic powder, cumin, & cayenne - BAM!)
roast for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes,
until golden & toasty & crunchy.

note: check them every few minutes at the end.
there's a fine line between crunchy and scorched.

these are great to eat as-is,
or sprinkled on top of your hummus.

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here's a peek at the 3 people i love most:
emily, marian, & ned (with maisy)

♥