Growing up, my mom would often buy hummus at the supermarket, pre-made, and those little plastic-tub containers would be the only hummus I knew until I went to Israel. There, in Tel Aviv, I ate hummus every day, and every place I ate it, it was a little different. It would always be served in a wide bowl, but the toppings were different. Yes, toppings! The hummus would be made into a little well, with a pool of olive oil inside, and a small heap of roasted mushrooms, or sliced boiled eggs...or even more chickpeas.
Garlic is in every hummus recipe, and usually, the garlic is added to the hummus raw, with lemon and tahini. If like me, you find the bite of raw garlic a bit too strong, try this...
In a little pot over your lowest heat, toast your olive oil until it starts to simmer. Add your crushed garlic cloves and allow it to steep for approximately 5-10 minutes. It should smell incredibly fragrant. Watch it very carefully so that it doesn't burn. It shouldn't sizzle.
Use this oil for your hummus. I then save the toasted garlic cloves for my next tomato sauce.
To make beet hummus, roast the beets first. You can also use the roasted beet skin juice idea from my previous post for beet hummus.
With no guilt whatsoever, I use only canned chickpeas for my hummus. I do think the secret to amazing hummus is the quality of your tahini, rather than the chickpeas, so invest in the best tahini you can find.
TOPPING IDEAS FOR YOUR HUMMUS
🥣 Grilled mushrooms
🥣 Roasted red peppers
🥣 Fried eggplant
🥣 Beet pickled eggs
🥣 Hardboiled eggs
🥣 Fried chickpeas
🥣 Lemon and olive relish
🥣 Feta cheese and pomegranate seeds
🥣 Paprika and parsley
🥣 Za'atar and pine nuts
⬆️ Hummus with Sumac and Lemon Zest