{"id":4916,"date":"2011-09-07T14:51:34","date_gmt":"2011-09-07T21:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/?p=4916"},"modified":"2011-09-07T14:51:34","modified_gmt":"2011-09-07T21:51:34","slug":"garlic-hummus-fit-for-a-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/garlic-hummus-fit-for-a-party\/","title":{"rendered":"Garlic hummus fit for a party"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hummus often is the easiest dish to skip at a party.\u00a0 It’s that creamy beige dip in a plastic tub that someone picked up at the store on the way to the host’s house.\u00a0 It’s pleasant enough if the processor hasn’t used too much citric acid as a preservative but hardly worth the calories when there are more exciting choices on the table.<\/p>\n

At least that’s what I always thought until I was coaxed into sampling the garlicky hummus offered at a farmers market in Santa Clara.\u00a0 Who knew that such a silky, seductive dip could come from pureed chickpeas laced with mellow garlic and spices?\u00a0 I was hooked.<\/p>\n

I knew I had to make my own if I were to satisfy my cravings, though.\u00a0 And canned chickpeas \u2013 better known on the West Coast as garbanzos \u2013 just wouldn’t do, even if I slipped off the skins for a smoother puree as many cooks advise.\u00a0 Besides, dried chickpeas are quite cheap in the bulk bins and aren’t that difficult to prepare, given a little advance planning.<\/p>\n

I made a couple versions of hummus soon after I acquired a VitaMix blender this summer, but they weren’t quite right.\u00a0 One was too bland, the other too watery. So when I was invited to a party thrown by food-loving friends last weekend, I decided to try again to come up with a new variation that could hold it\u2019s own against all the tempting cheeses and hors d\u2019oeuvre I knew would crowd the appetizer table.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Charlie McCollum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Starting with a basic recipe from the Greek cookbook, “The Olive and the Caper,” <\/a>by Susanna Hoffman (Workman, 2004), I began pumping up the flavor.\u00a0 Garlic was roasted for nuttier flavor and so was the sesame paste, known as tahini.\u00a0 I increased the lemon\u00a0 juice, cumin and coriander seeds and reduced the water.<\/p>\n

The result was an exceptionally smooth and almost buttery puree with a hint of lemon and savory undertones of garlic and spice.\u00a0 It was light, flavorful and almost irresistible.\u00a0 I kept finding excuses to dip a spoon into the bowl to check the seasonings.<\/p>\n

It was a hit at the party, too, though the home baked pita sprinkled with zatar certainly helped.\u00a0 (Zatar is a wild thyme-based spice mix sold at Middle Eastern markets or online at Penzey’s Spices<\/a>.\u00a0 Alternatively, you can make a fair approximation at home from the recipe below.)<\/p>\n

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The pita looks impressive and tastes far better than any store-bought flat bread, but it’s really not hard to make.\u00a0 Just divide any basic bread dough \u2013 the whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe’s works well \u2013\u00a0 into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Flatten the balls, then roll out to \u00bc inch or thinner. (I use a tortilla press to speed things up.)\u00a0 Brush each circle of dough lightly with water, sprinkle with zatar, and bake on a pizza stone for 5 minutes or so at 475 degrees.<\/p>\n

Serve this at your next party and no one will pass over the hummus.<\/p>\n

ROASTED GARLIC HUMMUS RECIPE<\/strong>
\nMakes about 3 cups<\/em> <\/p>\n

1 cup dried chickpeas
\n1 small head garlic
\n\u00bc cup olive oil plus more for drizzling
\n\u00be teaspoon salt
\n2 tablespoons roasted tahini
\nJuice of 1 lemon (about 4 tablespoons) or more to taste
\n\u00bc cup water
\n\u00be teaspoon ground cumin
\n\u00be teaspoon coriander seeds, or \u00bc teaspoon ground coriander
\n\u00bc cup Italian parsley<\/p>\n

The night before you plan to prepare the hummus, rinse and pick over the dried chickpeas.\u00a0 Place in a medium saucepan and cover with water by about\u00a0 \u00bd inches.\u00a0 Let soak overnight.<\/p>\n

The next day, drain the chickpeas and return to pot, covering them with fresh water by about 1\u00bd inches.\u00a0 Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, partly covered, for about an hour, until the skins are bursting and the chickpeas are very tender.\u00a0 The cooking time will depend on how large the chickpeas are and how recently they were dried.\u00a0 They should not be chewy or chalky when done.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.\u00a0 Peel off the loose outer layers of the garlic’s papery skin and slice off the top of the head to expose the cloves.\u00a0 Drizzle with a little olive oil, wrap in a double layer of aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the cloves are very soft when squeezed.\u00a0 Remove from oven and let cool.<\/p>\n

In a measuring cup, beat together the tahini, lemon juice, water and olive oil with a fork.\u00a0 Set aside.<\/p>\n

When chickpeas are done, turn off heat, stir in \u00bd teaspoon of the salt and let cool to room temperature.\u00a0 Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and transfer to the work bowl of a food processor or blender.\u00a0 Add \u00bd cup of the liquid and about half of the roasted garlic cloves, saving the rest for other uses.\u00a0 Whirl until very smooth and thick, scraping the sides of the container as necessary.\u00a0 With motor running, slowly drizzle the tahini mixture into the hummus and whirl until absorbed.\u00a0 Add the spices and remaining \u00bc teaspoon salt and whirl again until thoroughly blended.<\/p>\n

The mixture should be very smooth and the consistency of thick sour cream.\u00a0 If it’s still too thick, stir in the remaining cooking liquid, a tablespoon at a time, until the right texture is achieved.\u00a0 Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.<\/p>\n

Before serving, spoon hummus into a bowl and sprinkle with parsley.\u00a0 Pair with fresh pita.<\/p>\n

Aleta Watson<\/em><\/p>\n

ZATAR RECIPE<\/strong>
\nMakes about 1 1\/4 cups<\/em><\/p>\n

2 teaspoons ground oregano
\n2 tablespoons ground thyme
\n2 teaspoons whole dried oregano
\n2 teaspoons ground savory
\n2\u00a0 teaspoons ground marjoram
\n\u00bd teaspoon whole-leaf dried marjoram
\n\u00bd cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted
\n1\u00bd teaspoons kosher salt
\nFinely grated zest of 2 lemons<\/p>\n

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients.\u00a0 Store in an airtight container for up to two\u00a0 months.<\/p>\n

From www.bread-bakers.com<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hummus often is the easiest dish to skip at a party.\u00a0 It’s that creamy beige dip in a plastic tub that someone picked up at the store on the way to the host’s house.\u00a0 It’s pleasant enough if the processor hasn’t used too much citric acid as a preservative but hardly worth the calories when … Continue reading Garlic hummus fit for a party<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4916"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4968,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4916\/revisions\/4968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}