We’ve hosted a lot of parties at Open Table over the years and we’ve come to the unanimous decision that hummus is the top fave dips out there! It’s always served at the beginning of all our cooking workshops with some yummy nibbles. Last time, we smeared hummus on a plate and sprinkled sauteed Brussel sprouts on top – it was a hit!

3 SECRETS FOR CREAMY HUMMUS:

1. Fresh is best! Cook your own chickpeas, don’t use the tinned ones. It will take a lot longer as you’ll soak overnight and cook for a few hours but believe us it’s worth it!
2. Skin the chickpeas to achieve a smoother hummus. A painless way to do this is to sprinkle a little bit of baking soda over the chickpeas as they soak. Then, when you cook them later the skins will eventually float to the top.
3. Use a good, smooth tahini. Make sure you get a good hulled tahini and stir it really well. Unhulled tahini doesn’t work as well for creaminess.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• Juice of 1 1/2 large lemons (about 1/3 cup), more to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
• 1 3⁄4 teaspoons sea salt, more to taste
• 1 cup hulled tahini
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin, optional for more to taste
• Paprika, for serving
• Olive oil, for serving
• Chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Method

• In a bowl, cover chickpeas by at least 6 cm of cold water. Add 1 tsp baking soda and let soak at room temperature overnight or over 2 nights make sure to change the water twice. Drain and rinse.
• In a medium pot, cover soaked chickpeas by at least 4 inches of water. Add the remaining teaspoon baking soda and bring to a boil over high heat ( most of the chickpea skin will come up to the surface so you can skim it, please note it will take between 3-5 times to do it) . Reduce heat to medium high and let cook at a vigorous simmer until chickpeas are quite soft, 2-3 hours. (Overcooked chickpeas are the secret to creamy hummus, so don’t worry if they start to break down a little.) Drain.
• While chickpeas are cooking, make the tahini sauce. In a blender, combine the lemon juice, garlic and 1/4 tsp salt. Let mixture sit 10 minutes. Add tahini, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the cumin, and blend until a thick paste forms. Add 1/3 to 2/3 cup ice water while blender is running, a little at a time, until sauce is smooth. You’re looking for a perfectly smooth, creamy sauce.
• Add the warm, drained chickpeas to blender with tahini mixture. Blend until perfectly smooth and not at all grainy, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl occasionally. This blending may take upward of about 2 minutes; just keep going until the mixture is ultra-creamy and fluffy, adding a little water if you need it to make the contents of the blender move. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt and lemon juice.
• To serve, spread the hummus on a plate, dust with paprika, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley.