Charred Hummus

Don’t be afraid to let the food processor (we used the Vitamix) run the full 2 minutes. It’s one of the keys to supersmooth, aerated hummus. This recipe is inspired by Tusk in Portland, OR.

Yields ABOUT 4 cups.

Ingredients:

• 3⁄4 C dried chickpeas
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 garlic cloves, 2 smashed, 1 finely grated
• 1 dried red chile (such as chile de árbol)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1⁄3 C (or more) fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• 1 C tahini
• 1⁄3 C olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

1. Combine chickpeas and baking soda in a medium bowl and pour in cold water to cover by 2”. Cover and let sit 8–12 hours.
2. Drain chickpeas, rinse, and place in a medium saucepan along with smashed garlic, chile, and bay leaf.
3. Pour in cold water (NOTE: we found that using vegetable stock gave much more flavor to our hummus) to cover by 2”. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer gently, skimming foam occasionally from surface, until chickpeas are falling apart, 35–45 minutes.
4. At this point, you can drain, reserving about 1 cup cooking liquid. We actually found that letting the chickpeas cook dry in a nonstick pot and letting them char a bit on the bottom upped the flavor incredibly in our hummus. So much so that the girls wanted to eat all the chickpeas instead of making hummus! Pluck out and discard garlic, chile, and bay leaf when you are ready to puree chickpeas.
5. Combine grated garlic, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a food processor and let sit until the bite in garlic mellows, about 5 minutes.
6. Add tahini and 1⁄2 cup ice water and process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly stream in oil. Season with another large pinch of salt. Add chickpeas and cumin and process until hummus is very smooth, light, and creamy, about 2 minutes.
7. It will tighten up as it cools, so it should be loose to the point of being pourable at this stage. If it looks thick, thin with chickpea cooking liquid, pulsing in by the tablespoonful until you reach the right consistency. Taste hummus and season with salt and more lemon juice if needed. We felt that the hummus needed more flavor and upped the garlic.

We added evoo, salt, and pepper when plating.

Do Ahead: Hummus can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.