Hummus

[bunn]

I made some hummus on Saturday.  It is OK, but not... quite right.
50g sesame seeds, toasted (I think maybe I didn't toast them enough.  Maybe try adding pre-made tahini next time)
400g tin of  chickpeas (drained)
20ml olive oil
2 cloves garlic
juice of a lemon
about 100ml water
SHOULD have added: a pinch of salt.

and then I chopped the sesame seeds in the blender, mixed in the olive oil, added the rest and blended till it was smoothish.   The texture is maybe a little gritty - could have added more water & blended for longer.    To start with, the flavours were way off - the raw garlic and lemon juice was far too much.  Today, the flavours have blended a bit so the whole thing tastes more pleasingly hummus-y, but still is lacking something.  Maybe salt?   Or maybe try dried chickpeas instead of tinned?

I still haven't made any beer fudge, but this is definitely on my to-do list.  I originally came across the idea when I misread the words 'beer fridge' but the misreading sounded so delicious! 

Comments

[seascribe.livejournal.com]

I usually put cumin in my hummus, perhaps that is what is missing? (I've never made it with sesame seeds, always use premade tahini, so that might be where the grittiness is coming from?)

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Well, I think my normal bought hummus does not come with cumin, but perhaps I should try it!

I think I'll try pre-made tahini. I only went for the sesame seeds because the supermarket I went to is diddy and had no tahini.

[carmarthen.livejournal.com]

Paprika, maybe? I've always used premade tahini, also, but I enjoy my hummus full of raw garlic.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I shall try paprika, though I am sure I've bought and enjoyed paprika-free hummus, so not sure I'd notice a lack of it. I like raw garlic on garlic bread, but it seemed a bit too shouty in this recipe. Although I believe garlic varies in flavour too, so possibly I just bought an over-emphatic bulb.

[carmarthen.livejournal.com]

Garlic definitely varies in flavor. Also my use of garlic in general is, uh, heavy-handed.

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

I have a recipe I've used since I was a student (I think it came from a Student Cookery book):

Drain a can of chick peas, tip them into a bowl, and pound them with a wooden spoon until they form a smooth paste. (Nowadays, I blitz them, but I think pounding's better). Add a finely-chopped garlic clove and a teaspoonful or so of ground cumin. Then mix in a spoonful of lemon juice, a spoonful of oil, a spoonful of lemon juice... until it's the consistency you like. (I use a mild olive oil or sunflower oil -- extra virgin's too strong). Cover with cling film, and leave overnight if poss. It's quite popular with my family!

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I note that has rather less garlic than my recipe, and clearly I shall have to try with cumin...

No tahini or sesame seeds?

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

No, no tahini or sesame seeds -- maybe because it was a student recipe?

Also, I never put any salt in my cooking, so I don't know if you might feel it needs salt. I suppose the thing to do is taste it!

[huinare.livejournal.com]

Mmm, hummus. =)~ I can't recall if the hummus I usually buy has tahini (if so, I can't taste it, and it's not a taste I particularly prefer in strong doses).

Beer fudge, hahah, that sounds like a must-try.

[sistermine.livejournal.com]

My partner makes a mean hummous with pressure-cooked dried chick peas (the only thing he has against tinned is that they tend to be quite wet in the mixture), tahini, mild olive oil, a little garlic and loads of salt.

We have an endless debate about the quantity of salt he adds to things, but I have to confess (though not to him of course), it is delicious. The one time I tried to make it without salt it was inedible.

What's beer fudge? sounds fascinating.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

SALT! It was indeed salt that was missing - at least for my personal preference. I had drained off the liquid and added a little plain water instead, so I didn't find them too wet, but I think some people use the liquid in the tin, which is presumably salted for preservation purposes so makes the whole mix more salty...

I STILL haven't made beer fudge yet, but I imagine it will be like chocolate fudge, only flavoured with beer instead of chocolate...

[sistermine.livejournal.com]

Sounds yummy. I'm about to make my weekly supply of chocolate brownies (I freeze it and take it to work, to go with the more-austere salads). I wonder if you can make that with beer?