I'll start with my hummus. I used to be really obnoxious and elitist about this stuff, but I've changed my tune, mostly. See? This used to be a three day process. I'd sprout my garbanzos for three days. Then? I'd boil them. Then? I'd shell them, and make the hummus, from there.
Who has time for that? Not me. At least not anymore.
I do still insist on shelling the garbanzos, though. There is a restaurant here that I won't name, but many know... for their beer. They do have excellent beer. Buy the beer. Skip their hummus. Trust me. The hummus is rough and boring.
Anyway, if you have buddies, or kids, put them to work! More hands make less work, and take less time. Just make sure everyone washes them well first! :)
OK. So, here is my recipe. Of course, you can still do it the way I used to. It's really beautiful stuff made that way, too. I just don't really prioritize beans the way I used to. This is a treat, after all.
Hedy's Hummus
Equipment you will need:
3 bowls. Or two bowls, if you throw things on the floor, or table like a wild animal. I don't know...
Food Processor
Rubber Spatula
Ingredients:
2 14 oz cans garbanzo beans. (I use Trader Joe's OG.)
1/2 jar Alexis brand tahini, if you can get it. Otherwise, whatever reliable, extra smooth tahini you can get your hands on, will do. I also like Arrowhead Mills.
3-4 lemons, depending on size. Last time, I used 4 small lemons.
4 cloves fresh garlic
2 tbsp cumin
1/2 cup water, or more, depending...
1/2 cup olive oil or more, depending...
1 tsp salt, or more to taste.
Sumac, or smoked paprika for finishing.
Method:
Set your bowls out in front of you. Grab a handful of garbanzo beans, and pinch them until the pea pops out of the skin, into a clean bowl. Piiiing! Deposit your skins into the other bowl. Keep going until this is all done. Trust me. You want to do this. This is why it is so smooth.
Squeeze those lemons, baby. Until the juice runs into the bowl...
Smash your garlic cloves to peel them. Ha-chapa!
Place shelled garbanzos and 1/2 of your jar of tahini into the food processor. Start to blend, adding water as you go. It will start to emulsify beautifully at this point. You want the entire mixture to move, but not to get too thin yet, so keep an eye on this.
Add lemon juice. Blennnnnnd.
Add garlic and cumin. Blennnnnd.
Stream in the olive oil and add the salt. Blennnnd...
Turn it out into a nice, pretty bowl. Top with a small amount of olive oil, and sumac, if you can find it. If not, use a small amount of smoked paprika.
And that's a-hummussss!!!
Hedy's Baba Ganoush
Equipment you will need:
Food Processor
Rubber Spatula
Baking dish
Oven
Ingredients:
1 medium sized male eggplant. (This one has a round spot on the bottom, rather than a slit. Fewer seeds, less bitter than the female counterpart.)
1/2 jar of Tahini. I prefer Alexis Brand, but any tahini that has proven to be very smooth will work.
3-4 lemons
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup, (Or possibly more) olive oil.
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cumin
4 cloves garlic
Method:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Chop your eggplant into cubes, and pour a bit of olive oil into the base of a 9 X 13" baking dish. Add your cubes of eggplant to the dish, and toss around in the oil to coat. Try to evenly coat these to avoid too much oil saturation. Add a bit of salt, and roast at 425 for about 20 minutes. Check on them at about 15, just to see where they are, and whether or not they need to be turned.
Allow to cool completely.
Add eggplant and tahini to your food processor. Start processing, and stream in a small amount of water. Once this moves well, add the rest of the ingredients, except for the oil. If the mixture is very thick, add a bit more water, and then stream in the oil slowly.
And there you have ze baba, baby!
-H
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