Hummus

[Teddy]

what is hummus?

[zgma]

It's a mediterranean spread made out of chickpeas... very yummy. A good recipe: Put in blender: --a few cloves garlic --a few tablespoons of lemon juice --a tablespoon or two of olive oil Blend a bit, then add: --a few tablespoons tahini (this is sesame butter - comes in a can or jar) Blend some more, then add: --a can of drained chickpeas Blend a bunch, adding a bit more olive oil, water, or lemon juice if it needs more liquid to blend thoroughly. Add a pinch of salt, and anything you want to season it - chili pepper, black pepper, toasted pine nuts, paprika... It's great with warm pita bread, or with olives and feta, or as a spread in a sandwich.

[New Forester]

I like to cook my own chickpeas, or if using tinned rinse them well. If cooking, make sure they are soft through. I'd probably use more olive oil than you, zgma, and I'd add plenty of the paprika, keeping some to sprinkle prettily on the top. If you put in a lot of tahini it goes quite stiff and you need more lemon juice and oil. It's supposed to be really garlicky (just how I like it), but you can put in less if you like. You can buy hummus, though it's never as good as home-made. Bought can be improved a lot by adding extra lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Excellent as a dip too.

[Jamie Lewis]

I always thought thet they were an Islamic movement.

[zgma]

Mmmm, New Forester, I like it really garlicky too. Jamie Lewis, I think you're thinking of Hamas, the Palestinian resistance movement that supports terrorist tactics.

[pyewacket]

Buy a pot from your local supermarket to give you a rough idea, you will find it in the deli counter or where the cheeses merge into spreads!! utterly gorgeous stuff, in fact my mouth is watering even now at the thought...hmm have some in the fridge, think I will pay it a visit!