MY FATHER'S HOMEMADE HUMMUS.

My dad is an expert hummus maker.  Well, in my opinion at least.  From the time I was small, I can remember begging my dad to whip up a batch of his infamous chickpea dip for me to snack on.  And when my friends came over, I would always insist that they try this beige coloured dip that smelled very, very different from anything they had had before.

Yes, I personally introduced my white, suburban, childhood friends to this classic dip, spreading the  joy of hummus whenever I could.  Okay, so maybe it's not a global effort on my part, but really I think I did my share no?  Anyways, as soon as I had a kitchen of my own that I was willing to cook in (read: not in university, not when travelling, but only when settled with full time employment) I called up my dear father and insisted that he tell me how to make it.

Well, this was followed by much hemming and hawing and comments like "oh well, it's easy it's just chickpeas and tahini".  Full stop.  "But how many chickpeas, and how much tahini Dad? What are the specific measurements?  And what else?  And what do I do with it all?  What are the exact steps?"

Let me just say, that my father is an excellent cook.  However, we are two very different types of cooks.  I need detailed and precise instructions, and he, well he just wings it.   But, since hummus really is extremely easy to make, it wasn't long before I had the notes that I needed.  Since then, I've tweaked it slightly to my own taste preferences (come on garlic!), and lightened it up a bit so that it's a guilt free snack.  But it will always be my dad's hummus.

My Father's Hummus

1 can of chickpeas, drained (reserve liquid) / 2 cups cooked chickpeas

1/4 cup tahini

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

3 large cloves of garlic

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 tablespoons chickpea liquid (reserved from can or cooking)

Place the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and cumin in a food processor. Mix on high until fully combined.  Then, while the blender is running, drizzle in the oil and chickpea liquid until the mixture becomes smooth, creamy and luscious.  Yes, I said luscious!  You can add more or less of the chickpea liquid to get the desired consistency.  I find that adding it slowly while the blender is on really gives it an extra creamy texture, even though the amount of oil is reduced.

I know most people eat hummus all the time, but homemade hummus is on a whole other level.  It's so flavourful and fresh, you'll want to eat the whole bowl right away.   I just dare you to try and restrain yourself from using your fingers to scrape the blender clean of any last bits of this dip.