cosericantar: creative homemade food: HUMMUS 3 WAYS: CLASSIC, CARROT, BEETROOT

WIKI NOTE: Many cuisine-related sources describe hummus as an ancient food, or connect it to famous historical figures such as Saladin. Indeed, its basic ingredients (chickpeas, sesame, lemon, and garlic) have been eaten in the region for millennia.

But in fact, there is no specific evidence for this purported ancient history of hummus bi tahini. Though chickpeas were widely eaten in the region, and they were often cooked in stews and other hot dishes, puréed chickpeas eaten cold with tahini did not appear before the Abbasid period in Egypt and the Levant.

Today, it is popular throughout the Middle East (including Turkey), North Africa (including Morocco), and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe.

HUMMUS 3 WAYS

1. CLASSIC HUMMUS

YOU WILL NEED:
500g of soaked chickpeas
1 tablespoon of tahini
2 cloves of garlic
A handful of chopped onion (optional)
A handful of sesame seeds
A generous splash (approx. 50g) of extra virgin olive oil or olive oil, to taste
A dash of lemon juice
A pinch of ground cumin
Salt, to taste
A pinch of sweet paprika (optional)
NOTE: Tahini is a cream produced from roasted and crushed sesame seeds.

LET´S COOK!
1. Leave the chickpeas to soak for about 12 hours in cold water. Then drain them with a strainer. Put them in a covered saucepan of water and cook them over medium heat until the chickpeas are very tender. Drain them again and let them cool.
NOTE: You can use the on-base chickpeas, but first rinse them well with water and then drain them. The final result is not as tested as the real chickpeas.
2. Once they are cooled, put them on the base of the blender, and add peeled garlic, chopped onion, a spoonful of tahini, ground cumin, salt, olive oil, and a dash of lemon juice.
3. Mix everything with the blender until you have obtained the desired texture (creamy) from the ingredients.
NOTE: If the texture is very thick, add a dash of olive oil or cold water and beat with the blender for a few more seconds.
4. Fill the silicone cupcake wrappers with the hummus. Decorate the top of the cupcakes with more hummus and sprinkle each cupcake with sesame seeds on the top. Make the icing with olive oil and paprika.

2. CARROT HUMMUS

YOU WILL NEED:
3 grated tender carrots (reserve 1 grated carrot for the garnish)
1 or 2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons ground hazelnuts
2 handfuls (approx.100g) of cooked chickpeas
A generous splash (approx. 50ml) of extra virgin olive oil or olive oil, to taste
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

LET´S COOK!
1. Mix everything in a blender until you have the desired texture.
2. Fill the silicone cupcake wrappers with carrot hummus. Decorate with a topping of hummus (adding olive oil if you want to get the desired texture of the icing). Sprinkle the remaining grated carrot on top.
NOTE: Put the leftover hummus in a Tupperware. It can be kept in the fridge for several days.

3. BEETROOT HUMMUS

YOU WILL NEED:
50g of cooked beetroot (reserving some for garnish grated beets)
2 garlic cloves
2 handfuls (approx.100g) of cooked chickpeas
A dash of lemon juice
A generous splash (approx. 50ml) of extra virgin olive oil or olive oil, to taste
A pinch of curry
A handful of sesame seeds (optional)
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

LET´S COOK!
1. Mix everything in a blender until you get the desired texture.
2. Fill the silicone cupcake wrappers with the beetroot hummus. Decorate with a topping of hummus (adding olive oil if you want to get the desired texture of the icing). Sprinkle with the reserved grated beetroot.
NOTE: Put the leftover hummus in a Tupperware box. It can be kept in the fridge for several days.

LET´S EAT SOME CUP-TAPAS!

1. Serve one cup of each hummus per person as a tapa.
2. Plus pitta bread, carrot, and celery sticks, fresh veggies, toast soldiers, or bread sticks to dip into hummus or spread hummus on rice cakes, rustic toast, or Mexican tortillas, ...

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