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• 1 cup dried chickpeas
  
• 4 cups water
  
• Pinch of baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/3 cup tahini
  
• 4 to 5 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 2 to 3 cloves pressed garlic

  Garnish:
  

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• Finely chopped parsley
  
• Paprika and light sprinkling of cayenne pepper

Rinse chickpeas, cover with water and soak overnight.

Put chickpeas on to boil in the water in which they were soaked. If needed, add more water to cover chickpeas by 1 inch. Add a generous pinch of baking soda. Cook, covered, at a gentle simmer, adding more water if necessary so chickpeas remain covered. After 2 hours, add 1 teaspoon of salt or to taste and cook chickpeas until very soft, about 3 hours in all. Drain and reserve cooking liquid.

Puree chickpeas by passing through a food mill or placing in a food processor or blender, adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid to the mixture. Slowly add tahini and most of the lemon juice to the puree, blending well. Add pressed garlic and adjust salt, lemon to taste and add more cooking liquid if necessary. Hummus should have a thick, creamy consistency.

Spread on a plate, swirling puree with metal spatula or back of a spoon. Spread olive oil over top and garnish with chopped parsley and a sprinkling of paprika and/or cayenne pepper. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Thursday, March 20, 2003