Hummus Like Grandpa's

Or, as I like to call it, "yummus"!
I am such my grandfather's granddaughter. More than anyone else in the family, I have his adoration for trivia, details, spices, and ethnic fare. Along with his taste for curry and hot sauce (he once tasted a flight of habanero sauces without blinking an eye or touching the water cup - at age 70!), Grandpa's got a rather deft hand in the kitchen - especially when it comes to scrambled eggs, pancakes, and my favourite - garlicky, creamy hummus.

I have yet to perfect Grandpa's recipe for hummus (and there's no point in asking since it's always a slap-dash "chuck in the blender" type thing), but I do know that it is tangy with lemon and packed with garlicky goodness, and not overly oily either (in fact, I never remember seeing any oil floating to the top of the jars). I don't recall the thick, yet still dippable, spread being super sesame-ish either, hinting that though there was likely the conventional tahini in the mix, it wasn't as much as a lot of the recipes out there. Personally, I don't bother buying tahini since it just sits in the fridge after a single use and goes bad!

When I started playing around with the recipe, I came up with the idea of using simply ground sesame seeds instead. Actually, since I already had a batch of ground sesame seeds mixed with ground and flax seeds on hand, thats what I used. The one thing I learned quickly - and I'm sure Grandpa would definitely approve - is that this definitely tastes best (and is way cheaper!) when you've used home-cooked chickpeas! In fact, the man himself got a taste of it practically out of the processor, and I dare say he enjoyed it as much as I did!

 

Grandpa's "Yummus"
Makes 2 cups
2 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed if canned
4 large cloves garlic
3 tbsp ground sesame seeds (about 1/4 cup ground in a coffee / spice grinder)
1 tsp ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried parsley
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp water

1. Combine chickpeas and garlic in a food processor and run the machine until they are finely ground.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients (except oil and water) and puree in.
3. With the machine running, stream in the oil and water, mixing until thoroughly blended.
4. Place into a covered container and chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Amount Per (1/4-Cup) Serving
Calories: 132.8
Total Fat: 7.1 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 324.4 mg
Total Carbs: 15.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.1 g
Protein: 5.1 g