David Lebovitz's Hummus

When I was in Israel, I had the most amazing hummus, which is made from Bulgarian chickpeas, which don't have the tough skins that other varieties do. I wanted to replicate the incredibly smooth hummus I had in Israel and when I plucked off the chickpea s

1 cup (200 g) dried chickpeas (rinsed and sorted)

½ teaspoon baking soda

9 tablespoons tahini

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 ½ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup chickpea cooking liquid

Put the chickpeas in a large saucepan and cover them with water, about four times their volume, and add the baking soda.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a vigorous simmer, and cook for 1 to 2 hours with a lid ajar, until the chickpeas are very, very tender. Remove from heat and pour them into a colander set over a bowl, to reserve the cooking liquid. When cool enough to handle, remove the loose skins from the chickpeas.

In a food processor, grind together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt until completely smooth. (You can use a blender, and if so, add the ⅓ cup chickpea cooking liquid along with the tahini.) Set a handful of chickpeas aside, then add the rest of the peeled chickpeas and grind for at least a minute, until completely smooth.

Taste, and add additional lemon juice or salt, if necessary. If it's too thick, add a bit more of the cooking liquid until it's at the desired consistency.

To serve, spread in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with the reserved cooked chickpeas and perhaps some toasted nuts. Serves 6 to 8 people.

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