Hummus

I was taught to make hummus by a Cypriot friend’s grandmother and her recipe produces the smoothest, creamiest hummus I’ve ever had. She insisted that you should remove the skin from the chickpeas to get a smoother texture. I find it quite therapeutic popping them out of their little casings, but you can leave them on if you prefer a coarser texture or are short on time. I don’t add garlic to my hummus, but you can if you like, though it’s best used within a day or 2 in that case; otherwise it lasts for up to a week, covered in the fridge. Serve with a glass or 2 of Yeni raki. If you’d prefer to make your hummus with soaked dried chickpeas, see video below.

Makes about 1½ cups

Ingredients

400g canned chickpeas
¼ cup lemon juice, or more to taste
¼ cup tahini, or more to taste
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Salt flakes, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Pita Crisps, for serving

Method

Drain chickpeas and rinse well. Press each chickpea gently between thumb and forefinger to remove the skin.
Place in a blender or food processor and puree.
Add lemon juice, tahini, oil and salt and process until smooth, adding 1-2 tablespoons of cold water to give a thick, creamy consistency.
Taste and add more lemon juice, salt or tahini if you like.
Transfer to a wide bowl, spreading it out as much as possible.
Top with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of cayenne and serve with Pita Crisps.