Hummus Ful

I am a big fan of hummus. I believe I first encountered hummus at a Whole Foods in Dallas, Texas. I dabbled in the premade Middle Eastern dip, and immediately fell in love with the texture, flavor, and the fact that you could pretty much dip anything into it and have it still be just as good. After I experienced great Middle Eastern food in Dallas, Texas, I brought those memories of wonderful flavors back to me when I moved back to Wisconsin.

If you have never made your own hummus, go for it. It is just way to simple to make, and the beautiful thing is that you can make it taste the way you want to, adding a few things here and there. In my opinion, store bought hummus does no justice to the beauty of making it yourself. I find store bought hummus to be a bit bland, and have not purchased it in so many years. Not only does making your own make it taste a lot better, but it also makes a bunch of it, allowing you to serve it throughout the week, if it lasts that long!

As stated above, there is something about making it your own way. You can start with your standard hummus recipe, adding as much or as little garlic as you would like, but there are certain twists to hummus that many of are not aware of. Often times you might see a roasted pepper hummus, or spinach and feta cheese hummus, or even an olive hummus, however they all start with the blend of chickpeas. A hidden twist that you do often see is the addition of cooked fava beans to the top of the hummus, making it really fantastic. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• Garbanzo Beans; soaked overnight, and drained, and cooked
• Garlic, to your liking (roughly 2-5 cloves)
• 2 tbsp of Tahini Paste
• 3 tbsp of Lemon Juice
• Salt to taste
• 3 tbsp of Olive Oil, plus for for drizzling on the top
• 15 oz can of fava beans, rinsed, drained, and cooked
• 1 roma tomato, chopped
• pinch of cumin
• 1/4 cup of water
• chopped flat leaf parsley
• vegetables for serving (optional)
• Naan or other Levin bread

Begin by cooking your garbanzo beans. Once they have sat overnight in enough water to cover them, drain and rinse them. Return the beans to a large pot, cover with enough water, and bring to boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about 45 minutes until they are soft and tender. Reserve about one cup of the garbanzo bean water before draining.

Drain the beans and add them to a food processor, along with the tahini paste, lemon juice, salt, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and the garlic. Puree into a nice smooth paste. Add water along the way as you do not want it to be really thick, but have a lighter texture.

Remove from the processor and plate. During this time cook the fava beans in about 1/4 cup of water. Add a pinch of cumin, along with the chopped tomatoes. Cook for about 25 minutes or until the beans are cooked through and nice and tender.

When you are ready to serve, ladle some hummus onto a plate, add a couple of tablespoons of the fava beans into the center, and drizzle with additional olive oil, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and shower with chopped parsley. Serve with warmed naan bread.

They say it is the yin and the yang. It hummus done differently, and in my opinion, possibly the perfect way to enjoy hummus. The texture is much like you would expect in a hummus, however the addition of fava beans add this flavor and  texture that makes this hummus scream.

The great thing is that is great for you. Simple ingredients that are really satisfying. Hope you enjoy.