LEON Velvety Hummus recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 400g Soft chickpeas – method below
• Water
• 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• 30g Ice Water
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 60g Tahini
• 40g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 30g Lemon Juice

METHOD:

To make your soft chickpeas:

Soak

Place 200g of dried chickpeas in a large pot overnight and cover with plenty of cold water and a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. The bicarb will soften the chickpea skins, making it easier for the dried pulses to absorb water which will make them much softer. Soak for 8-10 hours.

Cook

After soaking overnight, drain your chickpeas and rinse them thoroughly. Add your chickpeas to large pot of cold water (about 1.2L) and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 60 minutes until extremely soft and some chickpea skins are floating to the top.Skim off any foam and any skins that float to the surface. You’ll know they’re done, they break up easily when pressed between your thumb and finger.

Blend

1. When your chickpeas are cooked, drain them. They should have roughly doubled in size. Don’t discard your cooked chickpea water (also known as Aquafaba, use this in place of eggs in vegan baking or cooking. It will keep in your fridge for about 5 days).
2. Weigh out 400g of cooked chickpeas and add to a blender, then add your ice water and blend until they are really soft. The ice water aids friction, leading to a much creamier texture.
3. Once your chickpeas are soft. Add all other ingredients to your blender and blend until you have a really smooth, velvety texture.
4. Top with some whole chickpeas, a sprinkle of paprika and a good drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and serve.