Hummus

Ingredients

400 gram can (14 ounces) chickpeas, drained, rinsed (and preferably peeled!)
3 tablespoons tahini (*or peanut butter, see notes below)
juice of 1 large lemon (approx 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons water (optional)
pinch of paprika for garnish

Directions

Drain and rinse your chickpeas. Peel them if you prefer (I find it makes the hummus smoother.) Pour the tahini and lemon juice to a bowl and use a hand blender/stick blender/food processor pulse for about 1 minute, until thick and light in colour. Add the chickpeas and blend again until minced.
Add in the minced garlic, and slowly pour the olive oil in a bit at a time, while blending further until the oil is fully incorporated and the hummus mixture is as finely or coarsely puréed as you like it.
Season with the salt and cumin. You can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and pulse for another minute if you find the mixture too thick.

My notes:

This recipe is very flexible. If you don’t have tahini, try using peanut butter. Lime juice instead of lemon juice. Or a splash of olive brine alongside the lemon or lime juice. Instead of chickpeas, I’ve used black beans, or cannellini beans, or pinto beans… it’s all good!