Recipes: Appetizers: Hummus

Produced by Jennifer Frazier, Culinary Thymes magazine. Serves 6.

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
paprika & olive oil for garnish
salt

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Place in a medium pot with the onions and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Simmer until the chickpeas are very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Once cooked, discard the onions and drain the chickpeas, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid to make the hummus. Stir the tahini to make sure it is well blended. In a food processor, combine the tahini, garlic and lemon juice. Process until well combined. Add the chickpeas and cooking liquid and process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Season with salt, adding additional lemon juice or water as necessary to thin. Allow the hummus to rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours so the flavors can marry. Serve with a sprinkle of paprika and a drizzle of olive oil.

Serve with Toasted Pita Chips, pita bread, breadsticks and/or crudites.

Wine Skinny Suggests: The nutty flavors of hummus are great with a simple white wine like Pinot Grigio.

Wine Skinny Cooks April 2002