I decided to take a break from Shanghai and introduce this wonderful recipe I found through Food and Wine. I was instantly drawn to this recipe for its simplicity-- made with wholesome healthy ingredients it not only goes great as a dip but is awesome in sandwiches, salads, and wraps. This recipe is from Chef Michael Solomonov who was born in G'nei Yehudah, Israel and was raised in Pittsburgh. In May 2008, Michael opened Zahav in Philadelphia, where his main influences come from the traditional cuisine of his native Israel.
An excerpt from chef Michael Solomonov in Food and Wine states --
"Before opening Zahav restaurant in Philadelphia, chef Michael Solomonov visited hummus parlors all over Israel trying to find the best recipe. “Hummus is the hardest thing to get right,” he says. “It has to be rich, creamy and mildly nutty.” To make his hummus luxuriously smooth, he soaks the chickpeas overnight with baking soda to soften them. While Americans now flavor hummus with everything from pureed red peppers to fresh herbs, Solomonov says among the fanciest garnishes you can find in Israel are whole chickpeas, paprika and lemon-spiked tahini, used for hummus masabacha."
Ingredients for Israeli Hummus with Paprika and Whole Chickpeas:
- 1/2 pound dried chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 7 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup tahini, at room temperature (see Note)
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt
- Paprika, for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- Pita bread, for serving
In a medium bowl, cover the dried chickpeas with 2 inches of water and stir in the baking soda. Refrigerate the chickpeas overnight. Drain the chickpeas and rinse them under cold water.
In a medium saucepan, cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of fresh water. Add the garlic cloves and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat until the chickpeas are tender, about 40 minutes. Drain, reserving 10 tablespoons of the cooking water and 2 tablespoons of the chickpeas. Rinse the chickpeas under cold water. Peel the garlic cloves.
In a food processor, puree the chickpeas with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 6 of the garlic cloves. Add the cumin along with 1/4 cup each of the tahini and lemon juice and process until creamy. Season the hummus with salt and transfer to a serving bowl. Wipe out the food processor. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of tahini, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of reserved cooking water, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and garlic clove and puree.
Using a ladle, make an indent in the center of the hummus. Spoon in the tahini-lemon mixture. Sprinkle the hummus with the cumin and paprika. Garnish with the reserved whole chickpeas and the parsley, and serve with pita bread.
I like making fresh hummus at home without the weird preservatives that you find in-store. It's made of pure ingredients: organic chickpeas, extra virgin olive oil, tahini, lemon juice with paprika and cumin to finish it off -- it's amazingly simple yet delicious. To learn the proper way to soak legumes and obtain the maximum nutrients, my friend Divina offers a wonderful guide here. Chickpeas rich in protein and folate, are high in dietary fiber which results in healthy colons and lowers your risk for diabetes and heart disease.
