Smoothest Hummus Ever

I'll start by saying that I've never made my own hummus before. I LOVE hummus but to date I've been a buy it pre-made and deal OR enjoy it while eating out at an authentic Mediterranean restaurant kind of person. Well laziness be damned, homemade really is 100% better. This one takes a few minutes longer thanks to the decision to take the skin off the chickpeas but it's worth the extra 5 minutes work, believe me.

Adapted from a blend of a Smitten Kitchen recipe and the Eat Real Food cookbook.

Ingredients: (Makes 1 3/4 cups hummus)
1 3/4 c. drained chickpeas (from a 15-ounce can) o
1/2 tsp baking soda (for dried chickpeas only)
1/2 c. tahini paste
2 Tbls. freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
2 small cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3/4 tsp table salt, or more to taste
2 Tbls olive oil
Approximately 1/4 cup water or reserved chickpea cooking water
Optional: 1-2 Tbls chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Drain the chickpeas (saving the chickpea broth to thin the hummus, if desired) 

2. Peel the chickpeas. (The easiest way to do this is to take a chickpea between your thumb and next two fingers, arranging the pointy end in towards your palm, and “pop!” the chickpea out. Discard the skin.) 

3. In a food processor, blend the chickpeas until powdery clumps form, about a minute, scraping down the sides. 

4. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt & parsley (optional) and blend until pureed. 

5. With the machine running, drizzle in olive oil and water or reserved chickpea water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you get very smooth, light and creamy mixture. I find I need about 4-5 tablespoons for this volume, but you may need slightly more or less.

Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt or lemon if needed. 

To serve, drizzle it with a little olive oil. Serve it with pita slices or carrot sticks.