Since the pushing of
healthy eating habits and finding alternatives for snacking, many items that
used to be a "luxury" have now become an all-consuming fad; such is
the case with Hummus. Hummus is a puree
of garbanzo beans (a legume) also known as chickpeas in the United States and
England, or Ceci beans in Italy. Their
origin can be traced back to the Middle East, as far back as 3500 BCE; so they
truly cannot be called a modern "fad" food item. The other main ingredient needed to make
hummus is Tahini; a sauce made from the puree of toasted sesame seeds and olive
oil. The other ingredients that go into
the making of hummus? That is a matter
of taste.
Tahini has a very nutty
scent and flavor to it and can be substituted for peanut butter which is great
news to folks with a peanut allergy. If you can eat regular peanuts, then
adding a dollop of Tahini to your PB&J brings out an awesome richness of
peanutty taste and flavor. For baking, think about adding Tahini to a recipe
calling for peanut butter; and don't forget its wonderful addition to Middle
Eastern cuisine. Tahini can be stored
in the refrigerator for up to three months in an air tight container. Since oil is used in the process, it will
rise to the top and solidify under cold temperatures. Simply let the Tahini come to room
temperature, mix the oil back in until you have a smooth sauce; sort of how you
would work with the all-natural peanut butter spreads that are on the market
now. Tahini can also be frozen in air
tight freezer containers or bags, but after six months it needs to be
discarded.
How to Make Tahini
Ingredients:
3 cups sesame seeds
1/2 cup olive oil
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F;
spread the seeds onto a clean jelly roll pan (baking sheet with a 1/4 inch
around it); place into oven for 5 minutes.
Stir the seeds around and toast for another 5 minutes, but do not allow
them to get brown in color.
Put the seeds into a food
processor or blender; add 1/4 cup of oil and begin blending on high. A paste will form; switch off the appliance
and scrap down the paste with a rubber spatula.
Turn the appliance back on and slowly add in the remaining oil until a
smooth sauce begins to form; sort of like a smooth peanut butter consistency;
not all the oil may be required.
Makes 2 cups.
We have our Tahini, let’s
continue on to making Hummus. I'm going
to give a basic recipe that can be used as a dip for toasted pita chips
(Stacy’s is a great brand), or even a base sauce on a pita pizza (recipe will
be given). This basic hummus can be a
simple canvas for making many types of dips by adding roasted red bell peppers,
diced tomatoes, diced green onions, diced chile peppers, chopped herbs and the
list goes on and on. If entertaining and
serving several varieties of hummus, don't just garnish each type with a
teaspoon of an ingredient to identify its type.
Place a small bowl of the ingredient next to the bowl of hummus and let
guests add to a plate with their portion of dip. A garnish will be gone by the third guest,
and how will anyone be able to identify the flavors then? Also think about having slices of toasted
French baguette besides the traditional pita chips, so guests can make their
own version of a bruschetta. Now onto
the making of Hummus...
How to Make Hummus
Ingredients:
1 (16 oz.) can garbanzo
beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup Tahini sauce (or
1/4 cup if using a Tahini paste)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black
pepper
Preparation:
Mash the beans slightly
and place inside a food processor or blender; add the Tahini, garlic, oil,
lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Set
speed on puree and blend until desired consistency is achieved (slightly firmer
than a sour cream dip is best); add more oil if needed. Use a rubber spatula to scrap down the sides
of the appliance if necessary.
Makes 1 and 1/2 cups.
Note: During the puree
process, a tablespoon of a flavoring ingredient can be added such as diced
tomatoes, roasted red bell pepper, chopped herbs, etc.
Some folks enjoy a
chunkier hummus, some, like me, enjoy a smoother consistency. If you’re not sure which you prefer, make a
small portion of both and do some taste testing.
I gave you a tease before
about making a Pita Pizza, and here's the information I promised to give
you. Normally a pizza dough is made with
a leavened bread which rises because of yeast, but it can also be made from an
unleavened bread such as a tortilla, Navajo Fry Bread or pita bread. As a base
sauce, the traditional red tomato sauce can be used or pesto, but I've found
that hummus makes an interesting take on a pizza. By pureeing tomatoes, red bell peppers or
basil into a hummus, you can turn the traditional brownish coloring into the
illusion of a red or green sauce; and have the flavoring too.
How to Make a Pita Pizza
Ingredients:
1 Pita bread (standard
size to be cut apart, or single serving size)
1/4 cup Hummus
(traditional or flavored), 1/8 cup for smaller pita
Now here's the fun part;
the rest of the ingredients depends on what you want on it. If using any meats
or poultry, it must be precooked. Don't add too much of any one ingredient, you
want just enough that each item will be tasted when biting into the pizza. I created
one with diced tomatoes, diced goat cheese and spinach leaves; just a 1/4 cup
of each spread around on a standard sized pita went a long way.
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Spread hummus over pita;
spread other ingredients over all, but not entirely to the edge. Place the pizza directly onto the center rack
of the oven and bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until edges of pita darken.
A standard pita can be cut
into fourths; a small pita eaten as is.
There is my adventure into
the Middle Eastern world of Tahini, Hummus and Pita Bread; don't be afraid to
have your own adventure. Enjoy!
Mary Cokenour
