Michael Solomonov’s Hummus Tehina

Let’s face it: Israelis are obsessed with hummus. It’s difficult to know where to begin explaining the collective love affair with this savory, creamy chickpea dish that is so much more than the sum of its humble parts. In fact, we even eat it as a whole meal, gobbled up with fluffy pita, slices of zingy white onion, or even just with a fork - it’s that good.

Driving to the most obscure corners of Israel to ‘wipe’ an entire bowl of hummus can practically be considered an Israeli national sport, and it’s easy to see why. Once you’ve had hot and freshly-pureed hummus from your favorite Israeli hummus joint, it is pretty much impossible to go back to the pale imitation of hummus that you’ll find in grocery store refrigerators outside of Israel. Your best bet is to whip up a batch at home - with the right ingredients, you’ll be transported back to sunny, hummus-eating days in Israel.

Three-time James Beard award-winning Chef Michael Solomonov’s unbeatable hummus recipe will take you right back to Israel in your own kitchen. Solomonov is a native Israeli who has played a large role in bringing Israeli cuisine to the forefront of the American food scene with restaurants around the United States - once you make his hummus, you’ll understand why.

Note that hummus is very versatile and can be adapted to your liking - feel free to play around with the ingredients (like adding more tahini if you like it extra creamy) or add your preferred spices. Yalla - let’s get started!

Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas
2 tsp. baking soda, divided
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/3 cup (or more) fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
2/3 cup excellent quality tahini (a.k.a. tehina)
1 splash olive oil, for serving
1 handful Chopped parsley and paprika, for serving (optional)
1/4 tsp. (or more) ground cumin (optional)

Directions

1. Place the chickpeas in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon of the baking soda and cover with plenty of water. (The chickpeas will double in volume, so use more water than you think you need.) Soak the chickpeas overnight at room temperature. The next day, drain the chickpeas and rinse under cold water.

2. Place the chickpeas in a large pot with the remaining 1 teaspoon baking soda and add cold water to cover by at least 4 inches. Bring the chickpeas to a boil over high heat, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pot, and continue to simmer for about 1 hour, until the chickpeas are completely tender. Then simmer them a little more. (The secret to creamy hummus is overcooked chickpeas; don't worry if they are mushy and falling apart a little.) Drain.

3. Meanwhile, process garlic, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until coarsely puréed; let sit 10 minutes to allow garlic to mellow.

4. Strain garlic mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing on solids to release as much liquid as possible. Return liquid to food processor; discard solids. Add tahini and pulse to combine. With motor running, add 1/4 cup ice water by the tablespoonful and process (it may seize up at first) until mixture is very smooth, pale, and thick. Add chickpeas and cumin and puree for several minutes, until the hummus is smooth and uber-creamy. Then purée it some more! Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, lemon juice, and cumin if you like.

5. To serve, spread the hummus in a shallow bowl, dust with paprika, top with parsley and more tehina sauce if you have any left, and drizzle generously with oil.