I was taught to make hummus by a Cypriot friend’s grandmother and her recipe produces the smoothest, creamiest hummus I’ve ever had. She insisted that you should remove the skin from the chickpeas to get a smoother texture. I find it quite therapeutic popping them out of their little casings, but you can leave them on if you prefer a coarser texture or are short on time. I don’t add garlic to my hummus, but you can if you like, though it’s best used within a day or 2 in that case; otherwise it lasts for up to a week, covered in the fridge. Serve with a glass or 2 of Yeni raki.
Makes about 1½ cups
Ingredients
- 400g canned chickpeas
- ¼ cup lemon juice, or more to taste
- ¼ cup tahini, or more to taste
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- Salt flakes, to taste
- Cayenne pepper, to taste
- Pita Crisps, for serving
Method
- Drain chickpeas and rinse well. Press each chickpea gently between thumb and forefinger to remove the skin.
- Place in a blender or food processor and puree.
- Add lemon juice, tahini, oil and salt and process until smooth, adding 1-2 tablespoons of cold water to give a thick, creamy consistency.
- Taste and add more lemon juice, salt or tahini if you like.
- Transfer to a wide bowl, spreading it out as much as possible.
- Top with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of cayenne and serve with Pita Crisps.
