It’s a wonder I’ve been buying hummus for the last five years. And bad hummus at that. It is no lie that I eat enough hummus to keep a small chickpea farm in business year round. And so, I always opted for the less expensive hummus at my local hippie-dippie coop. I bought it by the pint and devoured it two days.
Let me be clear on something: I’ve never liked this particular brand of hummus. It is grainy and bland, not once reaching the dreamy, smooth and fruity hummus I ate when I was in Israel so many years ago. That being said, good hummus is readily available in stores here, I just never wanted to shell out the cash for the nice stuff. Which brought me, after five years, to my current frustration.
Hummus is not hard to make. If this is news to you, you probably don’t make your own veggie or chicken stock either. Get with the program. With the added shortcut of using canned beans (I know, the horror!), this whole recipe takes less than five minutes. Flavor it with whatever you have on hand: garlic, parsley, onions, lemon, olives, sriracha, etc… I used a combo of roasted garlic, fresh garlic, and hot paprika to make this batch sing.
I’m in rehearsal now for a new musical, Les Enfants de Paris, and this hummus will do wonders to keep me energized through the week. The show is part of a festival of new works, The New York Musical Theatre Festival. I’m thrilled to be back in the rehearsal room pounding through music and fleshing out the body of this play surrounded by great actors and new friends.
In other news, I’ve submitted an audition tape for Food Network Star. I have long avoided reality tv, but sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. It is no secret that I aim to host a tv show and if this brings me one step closer I’m not above it in the least. Now, should I actually land on that show I’ll need all your cheers and laughs as I wade through the mist of televised reality. Let’s be clear about this: I will be outrageous.
As if that was in question.
Free of Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Eggs. Vegan.
- 1 15-ounce can Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
- ⅓-½ cup Olive Oil (depends on your preferred texture)
- ⅓ cup Tahini
- Juice of one Lemon
- 1 head Roasted Garlic (need help? see below)
- 1 clove Fresh Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Hot Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teapsoon Pepper
Get Busy
- Ready? Put everything in a food processor. Turn it on. Wait. Turn it off. Eat.
Yield: ~1 pint
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Roasted Garlic
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Split a head of garlic from side to side, not from top to bottom. The goal is to cut the cloves in half through their midsection. Do this to a bunch of heads of garlic at once and store the rewards in olive oil in your fridge. You’ll find ways to use them. I promise.
- Place the split heads of garlic in a roasting pan and drizzle lightly with olive oil, just enough to cover the exposed garlic flesh.