Hummus is popular in America now. It is the kind of thing you make to taste, adding a little more garlic, salt, or tahini as you go along. Serve it with warmed pita bread.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　1 1/4 cups chickpeas, soaked in water overnight

　　3 to 4 tablespoons tahini

　　Juice of 2 lemons

　　3 garlic cloves, crushed

　　Salt

　　4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

　　

Step 1

Drain the soaked chickpeas and put them in a pan with plenty of fresh water. Bring to the boil, remove the scum, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until they are very soft. Drain, reserving the cooking water.

　　

Step 2

Blend the chickpeas to a purée in the food processor. Add the remaining ingredients, except the oil, and a little of the cooking water—just enough to blend it to a soft, creamy paste. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

　　

Step 3

Pour the hummus into a shallow dish and drizzle over the olive oil.

　　

Optional Garnishes

Step 4

Sprinkle on plenty of finely chopped parsley; or make a star design with lines of paprika and ground cumin; or sprinkle with ground sumac (see page 7) and a little chopped flatleaf parsley; or garnish with a few whole boiled chickpeas, or with pine nuts lightly fried in butter.

　　

variations

Step 5

For a hot version, pour the hummus into a shallow baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 400°F. Lightly fry 1/2 cup pine nuts in 4 tablespoons of butter or extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle them, with the melted butter or oil, over the dish.

　　

Step 6

Balila is a warm chickpea salad. Boil the soaked and drained chickpeas in plenty of water for 1 1/2 hours. Turn them out into a serving bowl with just a little of their reduced cooking water and crush them only slightly with a fork. Stir in, to taste, plenty of extra virgin olive oil, a generous amount of crushed garlic, a pinch of chili pepper (optional), and some finely chopped mint.

　　Arabesque