Graduation Hummus

After five years of high school (he wasn’t slow–it was a 5-year high school), Max is now a free man. With the weight of school off of his shoulders he wandered into the kitchen and asked if he could help with dinner tonight. I was making Cholae, an Indian garbanzo bean dish, with Indian Fried Rice. Max made the rice while I made the cholae.

I had cooked up enough extra garbanzo beans so that we could make hummus. The last time Max and I made hummus together it was fantastic—made from freshly cooked garbanzo beans the hummus tastes light and fresh, far superior to store-bought. It’s always my preference to cook from scratch, for the health benefits, the artistic enjoyment of creating a beautiful meal, as well as the cost. Tonight we wrote down what we did.

Hummus can be made from canned beans, however, although it takes longer to make from dried beans (they take about 3 hours to cook) we think it’s worth it. Shop at an ethnic market, where the prices are far lower than in the chain grocers.

Graduation Hummus

To cook the beans, combine the following, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 3 hours, or until the beans are quite soft. Save the liquid.

• 2 c. dried garbanzo beans (also called chick peas or chana)
• 8 c. water
• 1 tbs. salt

Combine the following in a food processor. Process until smooth.

• 4 c. cooked garbanzo beans
• 1 c. liquid
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 c. tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 2-1/2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 2 to 3 tsp. salt (to taste)
• 1 Tbs. olive oil (optional)

You may also add some chopped parsley and/or a little paprika.

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