bajada·net

Chickpeas are full of dietary fiber, folate, and iron, but it’s hard to eat them when the hummus from the deli section presents a bland flavor palette. I prefer to make my own.

Ingredients

(ingredients)* 1 lb chickpeas or garbanzo beans, soaked overnight

• 2 T parsley, dried
• 1 T salt
• 1 T Hungarian paprika
• 1 head “roasted garlic”:http://www.bajada.net/2005/11/04/roasted_garlic
• (amount) {1/2} C extra virgin olive oil
• (amount) { } % %(ingredient)juice of eight lemons

Procedure

(procedure)# Drain and rinse the chickpeas. In a pot, cover soaked beans with 2” water and bring to a simmer. Hold at a simmer for 2 {1/2}-3 hours, or until beans are soft and fully cooked; add water as needed to ensure that they remain submerged. Remove from heat and drain chickpeas.

1. In a Ziplock bag with a rolling pin, crush chickpeas to a paste. It is not necessary to completely process them down; in fact, it is nearly impossible to remove all of the lumps without a food processor.
2. Mix chickpea paste with remaining seasonings.

Serving suggestions

Serve with toasted pita bread points or crudit{e/}.