I’ll be forward here: the best hummus recipe I’ve ever used is the one gifted to the world by Yotam Ottolenghi, originally published in his cookbook Jerusalem. I make it from time to time, and it’s not necessarily difficult, but you need to start making it the day before so that you can soak your chickpeas overnight, then you cook them, process them, THEN you can start making hummus. The results are out of this world, but it does take a lot of time and effort that—after a long day of work—a lot of people don’t have the energy for.
I will almost always advocate for taking the time necessary to produce something yourself, but sometimes there are shortcuts you can take that still promote a homemade food philosophy that may not be the best ever, but still good enough. Really delicious things don’t always take a lot of time, especially when dealing with humble foods like hummus.
I really dislike store-bought hummus; there’s always a twinge in its flavor that suggests age and the presence of preservatives, and there is never ever enough lemon or fresh garlic in it. This recipe for hummus uses canned chickpeas. Splurge a little and buy a higher quality brand, and check to make sure that they haven’t been processed with an astronomical amount of sodium: Goya is the brand I tend to use. Making this involves throwing a few ingredients into a blender, then turning it on. That’s it. You’ll have hummus in about 10 minutes, and it’ll be enough to satisfy your craving for it now, and for later.
Hurried Hummus
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1 14-oz. can of chickpeas, strained and washed well
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2–3 large cloves of garlic, skins removed, whole
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Juice of one large lemon (about ¼ cup)
Note: You can adjust how much lemon you want in your hummus, but I wouldn’t add more than ¼ cup of juice to prevent it from getting too watery.
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1–2 tablespoons of water
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Salt to taste
In a food processor, add the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, and lemon juice and blend until everything becomes thick and totally integrated. At this point, add one tablespoon of water and blend it a bit. If your hummus is still a bit too thick for your taste, add the other tablespoon of water, then let the food processor run for about 5 minutes so that your hummus gets nice and creamy. Add salt to taste, blend it a final time, then serve.
Makes about two cups.