(Above: Thirty years ago hummus was not readily available in most supermarkets so I started making it myself.)
If you’ve never tasted homemade hummus or pita chips, then you probably think the many varieties of both available at most supermarkets are pretty good. And you’re right. They’re not bad.
However, dipping a hot pita chip, bathed in a good olive oil and sprinkled with crunchy Kosher salt, into a nutty bowl of rich homemade hummus elevates this snacking experience to new heights. And trust me: it’s pretty easy to make and definitely worth the effort.
For more than 20 years I had a subscription to the now defunct, Gourmet Magazine. I found this recipe for hummus in the October, 1988 issue. I also make my own pita chips. Over the years, I’ve tweaked the recipes a little and here they are:
Hummus
Ingredients
- Garlic cloves (4)
- Salt (1 tsp.)
- Chick-peas (2, 1-pound 3-ounce cans, drained and rinsed)
- Tahini (2/3 cup, stirred)
- Fresh lemon juice, (1/4 cup)
- Olive oil, (1/4-1/2 cup
- use a good extra-virgin olive oil)
- Fresh parsley leaves (About 1/4 cup)
- Pine nuts, (About 2 tbsp.)
- For the pita chips:
- Pita bread (1 package
- about 5 pieces)
- Olive oil (You can use extra-virgin or even a light olive oil
- just enough to coat the pita bread rounds)
Directions
- Step 1 Mash and mince the garlic to a paste with the salt. Use a mortar and pestle if you have one or simply do it in a bowl.
- Step 2 Puree the chick-peas with the garlic paste, the tahini, the lemon juice and 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup of water in a food processor. Scrape down the sides and blend until it’s smooth. Add salt to taste.
- Step 3 Add water to thin the hummus if necessary until you get the consistency you like.
- Step 4 Clean the food processor and add 1/4 cup of olive oil and the parsley. Process until the oil is a bright green color and parsley is minced.
- Step 5 Put the hummus in a bowl. Smooth the top and drizzle the olive oil/parsley mixture over it. You can put the hummus in a few shallow bowls if you wish. Sprinkle pine nuts on top. Serve with the pita chips.
- Step 6 For the pita chips: Split the pita bread in half so you have 10 rounds.
- Step 7 Brush olive oil and salt onto each round. Cut each round into triangles.
- Step 8 Bake in a 400 degree oven on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Be sure to watch them so they do not burn.
