Claimed by Many, Loved by All

Homes are open to guests and family even more frequently during the holiday season. A welcome dish at any gathering is homemade hummus and fresh, warm bread.

Homemade hummus is a delicious and simple combination of inexpensive ingredients, which create the most marvelous dip or spread that will soar above anything available commercially.

The central ingredient is the humble garbanzo bean or chickpea. Hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea. It is an ancient food, dating back to early civilizations. Some credit the chickpea’s origin to Egypt. It then spread throughout the Middle East in the Middle Ages.

However, many other cultures claim the earliest cultivation of chickpeas and hummus, including northern India, Nepal, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Israel. There has been quite a debate over it, with no clear conclusion.

One can imagine ancient civilizations grinding the cooked chickpeas with sesame seeds and adding olive oil and citrus to create this exceptional and economical favorite.

Hummus is widely enjoyed in the Middle East, often available with every meal. It also makes an ideal hostess gift.

Pan Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 Tbsp yeast
• 4 Tbsp sugar
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 cup warm milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5 cups flour
• 1 standard stick (1/2 cup) real butter

Preparation: 

Mix the first four ingredients in a bowl. Cover for 10 minutes. In a new bowl stir together the milk and salt. Add to the yeast mixture, stir. Sift in the flour, stirring with a spoon, then hand work. Add flour if mixture is too sticky. Cover and let stand 45 minutes to rise.

Put dough on a floured surface. Work into a round oval. Divide into four equal portions and then divide the four into three more. Roll into 12 balls.

Divide a stick of softened butter into eight pats. Put a pat of butter on four of the flattened balls. Add a second ball on top of each and repeat adding and spreading out a second pat of butter. Then add a third ball to each, but do not add butter. Do this for all the dough.

One at a time, fold in each on each of the sides to make a square, then a ball. Pinch sides and flatten into a round. Repeat to make four rounds.

Heat a cast iron or other skillet on medium to high heat.

Add a dough round, cooking three minutes on each side. Use a toothpick to release any trapped air. Turn with a spatula often, checking to make sure the bread does not burn. Cool on a rack.

Repeat for the remaining three rounds of dough.

Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, 15.5 ounce, drained (save the liquid)
• ¼ cup tahini
• ¼ cup lemon juice (1 ½ – 2 lemons)
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic chopped/smashed
• ¼ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp salt

Preparation:

Put the tahini and lemon juice in a food processor and blend for 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Add garlic, olive oil, cumin and salt. Blend for 1 minute. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the liquid from the chickpeas, or substitute 2 to 3 tablespoons cold water. Blend to achieve desired smoothness. Add additional liquid if desired. For fluffier hummus, ice cubes can be substituted for liquid.

Tip: Do not scrimp on the quality of the tahini. It has a strong shelf life and will make 5-6 batches of hummus.

Optional: Once consistency is as desired, add pitted kalamata olives or any other favorite ingredient for flavor and blend just 1 to 2 seconds. Garnish with a tablespoon of olive oil in a little well on the top, a few cooked chickpeas, chopped parsley, and/or a dash of paprika.