Beulah’s hummus

Dried chickpeas take an age to cook, and I’ve always opted to make hummus from tinned or jarred chickpeas. Beulah cooked her chickpeas for hummus in a pressure cooker, and I considered doing that for this recipe, but convenience prevailed.

Beulah’s hummus

• 4 oz (110g) dried chickpeas (or 250g cooked)
• juice of two lemons
• ¼ pint (150ml) tahini paste
• 2 fat cloves garlic
• 4 Tb olive oil
• salt
• cayenne pepper, chopped parsley and additional olive oil to garnish

1. Put the chickpeas in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for two hours.
2. Bring the chickpeas to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 1½-2 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender. (If you have a pressure cooker, the cooking time is much less, especially if the chickpeas have been pre-soaked.)
3. Drain the chickpeas, reserving the cooking liquid, and put them in a blender.
4. Add the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and a splash of the cooking liquid. Blend, adding tahini paste to the mixture as it spins.
5. The consistency should be like mayonnaise. If you think it is too thick, add a little more cooking liquid.
6. Taste and season with salt and cayenne pepper.
7. Place in a serving bowl. Garnish with a thin layer of olive oil, chopped parsley and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Tags: Middle Eastern food, vegan, vegetarian