Perfect Hummus

I love good hummus.  Prior to this recipe, I was never really content with my homemade stuff.  This recipe uses the same ingredients as every other recipe I ever tried.  So what's the difference between a grainy mess and creamy perfection?  The order you add the ingredients.  I kid you not.  I gained this piece of wisdom from Inspired Taste, and you should drop by over there to see their pictures, if nothing else.  My kitchen's too messy for photography.

Ingredients and Steps:

Add to a food processor or blender:

• 1/2 C lemon juice
• 1/2 C tahini

Blend until tahini is creamy.  Then add:

• 2 T minced garlic (I use this for all my garlic needs.  I know, real cooks scorn me.)
• 4 T olive oil
• 1 t kosher salt (make this a heaping teaspoon if you like it salty)
• 1 t cumin
• Several dashes of your favorite hot sauce.

Blend until it looks blended.  Then add:

• 2 rinsed and drained 15-ounce cans of chickpeas.   If you add the entire can with liquid, your hummus will be too wet.  You could go the colander route, but why get the colander dirty?  Do what I do:  pour off liquid into another container, fill can with water, shake the can, put the lid back on, and pour the water out into the sink.  Do this a couple of times.  If you see any skins, pull them out.  It will make the hummus smoother.  Don't stress too much, though.  Add one can of rinsed and drained beans, blend until smooth, then add second can.

Finally, add in the reserved bean juice, a little at a time, until the consistency is how you like it. You won't need it all. Remember that the blended beans will soak up a little bit of water over time, so it's ok to make it just slightly wet.  Don't go overboard, though.  Nobody will complain if the hummus is a little firm.  This is also a good time to add that extra dash of hot sauce or salt.

That's it!  Congrats, you've made perfect hummus.  Note that the flavors will meld well with a couple hours in the fridge, but it'll be just fine to go ahead and eat it.  Every hummus recipe in the world calls for the tahini to be in a colorful bowl, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika.  I don't bother with that... spend your time chopping carrots or breaking open a bag of pretzels.