Food Wine Sleep

Ingredients List

300 g chickpeas, cooked soft
170 g Tahini (Sesame paste) usually available in specialty stores
120 ml (3 fl oz) virgin olive oil
60 ml (2 fl oz) water
40 ml (1 1/3 fl oz) lemon juice
Paprika powder
Iodized salt
White pepper from the mill

Recipe Description

I like the Middle Eastern Mezze or appetizers. Mezze almost always consists, of Hummus (chickpea - sesame spread) and Babaganoush (eggplant- sesame dip) served with warm pita bread. Other items such as Sambousik (pastries filled with minced meat and nuts) Tabouleh (Cous cous and parsley salad) and more are also added, but Hummus and Babaganoush are omni present when Mezze is served. The rich creamy sesame paste called Tahini is really the "main ingredient" in both spreads and the strong, nutty, almost smoky taste of it, is what makes this spread so flavorful and distinct.

Method Description

Soak the chickpeas (approx. 200 g to allow for the weight intake during the soaking and cooking) overnight in cold water.
Drain the water and cook in a lightly salted water until completely soft but still intact.
Strain onto a tray and let the cool down until they are lukewarm
In a food processor combine all ingredients with 1/2 of the water and approx. 90 ml (3 fl oz) of virgin olive oil into a smooth hummus.
Add the rest of the water as needed to achieve the correct consistency. Season to taste
Place into the serving dish and refrigerate well. Just before serving, make a few grooves with the back of a spoon into the Hummus, drizzle with the remaining virgin olive oil and sprinkle with little paprika powder.