Spicy Homemade Hummus

Last night I went to an engagement party for two of my favorite people and was asked to bring hummus. I made it Thursday night and pulled it out last night before the party to check on the flavors. Not enough garlic. And much too "stiff".  I decided to try remixing it with more olive oil and garlic and I decided to do it in my blender. I've been irritated with my food processor recently and thought my blender might do a better job.

Not my best idea.

Take a tip from me: Don't try to make this recipe in a blender. Its too thick and you will mix the heck out of the bottom while the oil you added stays right on top.

And then you might decide to turn off the motor and try to mix it up a bit so the liquid gets to the bottom. Which would make a big mess and cover your wooden spoon with thick, garlicky hummus that drips on your floor. And it wouldn't work anyway.

So then you might try to prod at it with your wooden spoon while the motor is running. That wouldn't work either. So, foolishly, you might go deeper and deeper with that wooden spoon. 

And then... yes... Your wooden spoon might get caught in the blade and split the top in half, making a terrible noise, and flinging more bits of garlicky hummus all over your clothes and floor.  Irritation!

But, best of all, you then might not be able to find the 1/2 of a top of a wooden spoon in your very "wood-colored" hummus!  Sigh... Yep, I washed my hands and then dug right in, hunting for 1/2 a spoon in my hummus with my bare fingers.

After a huge mess and hummus all over my hands, counter, kitchen sink, etc, I retrieved that darned 1/2 of a spoon, cleaned my kitchen, tried to get the garlic smell off my fingers and had a wonderful time with friends celebrating two people that we really love.

So here you go with the recipe. Even if you have a crummy food processor, just go with it and leave that blender in the cupboard!

Spicy Homemade Hummus
2 15-oz cans garbanzo beans or great white northern beans (or, if you're feeling adventurous, try black beans!)
8 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste - think peanut butter, but made from sesame seeds)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 T soy sauce (I use gluten-free)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp ground corriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2-3 T cold water Olive Oil

 - In a food processor, pulse garlic cloves until chopped. Add beans and pulse a few more times.
- With the motor running, slowly add in the tahini, lemon juice and soy sauce. Blend until smooth.
- Add spices. Add the water.
- Now you are pretty much going to add olive oil until the hummus reaches a consistency that you want.

This is best if you let it sit overnight so that the flavors can really blend and then pull it out of the fridge for a couple hours before serving. And when you are ready to serve it, drizzle a little olive oil over the top to keep it from drying out and looking ugly!

 There you go! Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend.

(I'm hoping to cook up a storm this weekend! I have 3 new things to try out: One involves my favorite meal of the day... One will create what is perhaps my favorite smell in the world... And the other will be my celebration of the quickly approaching end of summer... Stay tuned!)