San Diego Food & Travel

Food & Culture from San Diego to the Ends of the Earth

  • By Region
    • Africa
      • Ethiopia/Eritrea
      • Morocco
    • Americas
      • North America
        • USA
          • Regional American Cuisine
            • California
            • Southern
              • Cajun-Creole
              • Low Country
            • Mountain
          • Tailgate Food
        • Mexico
          • Baja
            • BajaMed/New Cuisine of Baja
        • Carribean
      • South American
        • Argentina
        • Brazil
    • Asia
      • China
      • Japan
      • Korea
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Poland
      • Spain
      • UK
    • Middle East
      • Afghanistan
      • Israel
    • Travel
      • USA
      • Europe
      • Middle East
  • History, Styles, Etc.
    • Culinary History
    • Modern Gastronomy
    • Slow Food
    • Fusion
    • Kosher
      • Kosher Fusion
    • Vegetarian
    • Fine Dining
    • Street Food
    • Comfort Food
    • Holiday Food
  • Publications
    • Articles
    • Reviews
    • San Diego CityBeat
      • The World Fare
    • L’Chaim San Diego Magazine
  • Recipes
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Other
    • Restaurant Reviews
      • San Diego
      • Baja
    • Food Truck Reviews
    • Market Reviews
    • Other
  • Video
  • Contact Me
    • About Michael A. Gardiner

RECIPE (CityBeat Blog): Israeli-style hummus (It’s all about the chickpeas)

June 4, 2013 MAG Leave a Comment

Israeli Style Hummus

In the May 15 issue of CityBeat, I wrote about Tiki Taka Grill, an unusual restaurant in an obscure Hillcrest strip mall featuring Israeli cuisine that is likely unfamiliar to the large majority of San Diegans or, for that matter, Americans. One Israeli dish that might be familiar to many Americans is hummus, a “meze” that’s ubiquitous throughout the Middle East. Israelis, though, do a particularly good version.

The secret to good hummus lies in resisting the urge to grab the can.  While canned chickpeas are a better product than most other canned beans, they lack the inherent sweetness and more subtle flavor profile of the dried bean. Another key to my hummus is the garnish: a paste concoction involving bit of acid, a helping of heat and something herbaceous. I chose to go with Za’atar, a spice mixture borrowed from the Palestinians that has become very nearly the national flavor of Israel. Za’atar can be obtained at most Middle Eastern grocers (North Park Produce and Vine Ripe are excellent options). If you can’t find Za’atar, feel free to substitute dried oregano or fresh parsley. You could also choose to go with just a sprinkle of paprika.


Israeli-style hummus

2 cups dried chickpeas (or, if you absolutely must, two 15-ounce cans of good quality canned chickpeas)

1/2 tablespoon baking soda

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup sesame tahini

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt

Pita bread

 

Garnish

1 tablespoon Aleppo Pepper

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 teaspoons cumin

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

2 tablespoons Za’atar

1. Soak the chickpeas: In a medium bowl, cover the dried chickpeas with 2 inches of water and stir in the baking soda. Refrigerate overnight. Drain and rinse under cold water.

2. Cook the chickpeas: In a medium saucepan, cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of fresh water. Add garlic cloves and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the chickpeas are tender, about 40 minutes.

3. Make the garnish: Combine all of the garnish ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for an hour to let the flavors come together.

 4. Make the hummus: Drain the chickpeas, reserving 3/4 cup of the liquid and 1/4 cup of the cooked chickpeas. Puree the chickpeas with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid, olive oil and garlic in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade. Add the cumin along with the tahini and lemon juice and process until creamy. Season to taste with kosher salt

5. Plate the dish: Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of the hummus onto each plate, leaving an indentation in the middle. Fill the indentation with a bit of olive oil and pour some of the garnish mixture over the olive oil. Spoon some of the reserved cooked whole chickpeas and remaining cooking liquid around the hummus at the rim of the plate.

Middle East, Publications, Recipes, San Diego CityBeat

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Join the Mailing List

RECENT POSTS

  • WORLD FARE: Battle of the burger chains
  • THE ART OF SPOONING: Episode 17, Part II (and VIDEO) of “The Men of Meat”
  • WORLD FARE: No fattoush at Fattoush and it doesn’t even matter
  • THE ART OF SPOONING: Episode 16, Part I of “The Men of Meat”
  • WORLD FARE: A different bowl of noodles at Mi Quang Mien Trung

Tag Cloud

All Forked Up All Forked Up Podcast Anthony Bourdain Art of Spooning Badass Kosher Baja Baja California Baja Cuisine BajaMed ceviche CityBeat Convoy district Davin Waite Eater San Diego Ensenada farm-to-table Herb & Wood Hot Pot Javier Plascencia Kosher L'Chaim San Diego Magazine Masterchef Mercy Baron Michael Gardiner Patrick Ponsaty Podcast Prog Progression Magazine ramen rosarito San Diego San Diego CityBeat Sheen Fischer Sichuan Specialty Produce Specialty Produce Network Sushi tacos The Art of Spooning The World Fare THRILLIST Tijuana Valle de Guadalupe World Fare Year-End Wrap Up

RECENT COMMENTS

  • mgardiner on The Most Expensive Seafood on the Rock: Percebes | Chorizo | Peas
  • Debra webster on The Most Expensive Seafood on the Rock: Percebes | Chorizo | Peas
  • mgardiner on RECIPE: Agnolloti of Beef Cheeks with Porcinis and Gremolata
  • Beth on RECIPE: Agnolloti of Beef Cheeks with Porcinis and Gremolata
  • mgardiner on The Most Expensive Seafood on the Rock: Percebes | Chorizo | Peas

SD Food & Travel on Google+

------------------

©2016 San Diego Food & Travel · All Rights Reserved