Simplified but delicious hummus recipe

Once you have great quality hummus from a mid-eastern restaurant, it's tough to eat the pre-packaged brands they sell at the supermarket. If you make this recipe, I doubt you'd ever eat the supermarket stuff again. I've tried many hummus recipes, and have come up with one that is the easiest, yet tastes as good as the more involved ones. Hummus aficionados might argue that this recipe isn't authentic enough, or argue about the derivation of hummus, but I'm just interested in making something at home which tastes great and isn't a multi-day ordeal.

The main components of hummus are chickpeas (garbanzos) and tahini. I tried soaking dried chickpeas overnight and then simmering them until tender, but I didn't notice much difference in using canned chickpeas. The tahini, on the other hand, MUST be high quality . Some brands are chalky, dry and lack flavor. After sitting a while, a jar of tahini may separate, you must blend with a fork or blender so it becomes smooth. I have found 2 brands that are terrific, delicious and quite smooth, and I'm sure there are others. They are Soom and the Whole Foods brand. They aren't cheap, but quality matters for great hummus and they are available on Amazon.

I've had great success with all brands of canned chickpeas, and this is the real time-saver - no soaking/cooking/waiting

Here's the recipe:
1 15 oz can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup of tahini
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp cumin
Juice of one lemon
3 minced cloves of garlic
1/2 a cup of cold filtered water

Add lemon juice, tahini, salt, cumin and garlic to a food processor and process for about 30 sec. While the food processor is running slowly pour in enough cold water to make the tahini sauce smooth and creamy.

Add the chickpeas and process for about 2 minutes, scraping the sides as needed. The more you process it, the smoother it will get. You're looking for a very fluffy hummus.

That's it. You can dip cut vegetables into it, make a sandwich with pita bread, or spread it on flatbread with some chopped parsley and a drizzle of a good extra virgin olive oil. Hope you enjoy!!!