CSSI Staff Post - August 19, 2020



Food has always been a big part of my life. My Ma-Ma always baked us sweets, my mother made dishes she grew up eating cooked by her parents and I was always trying to learn in the kitchen alongside them. Our dishes were all Midwestern, Middle-American fare rooted in comfort and practicality while showcasing our heritage.



When I was maybe 12, I remember my sister coming back from college and touring with the Grateful Dead to expose us to tofu, tempeh, ghee and hummus—they were completely new to me, but well-seasoned outside of Springfield, Ohio. When she made hummus, I remember it being so unique and so flavorful, texturally different and in-your-face garlicky.



Afterwards, my culinary journey sent me across the U.S. to one of my fondest meals at Alon Shaya’s restaurant Safta in Denver. His hummus rendition is sublime, smooth, and creamy. It remains my favorite version to date, and it's highly craveable. This recipe is a homage to his painstaking endeavor, modified to be a bit easier to replicate at home.

Hummus Ingredients - Yields 1 Quart



2 15-ounce cans – Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans

6 tablespoons – Warm Water

2 tablespoons – Fresh Lemon Juice

1 clove – Garlic, crushed

1/4 cup – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling on top

1/4 cup – Canola Oil

2 tablespoons – Raw Tahini

1 1/2 teaspoons – Salt

1/4 teaspoon – Ground Cumin

1/2 pound – Ground Spicy Sausage

3 tablespoons – Harissa Paste

3 tablespoons – Chicken Stock

To taste – Italian Parsley, chopped

Optional – Aleppo Pepper

Optional – Sumac

Directions

1. Drain the chickpeas and place into a large bowl. Gently grab a handful of the beans and lightly rub them together, massaging them between your palms. This will loosen the skins of the chickpeas that will come off during cooking.
2. Preheat an oven to 400°F. Spread the chickpeas on a cookie sheet or sheet pan in a single layer. Heat the beans for 10-15 minutes, or until they look visibly dried. Remove from oven and place into a large pot.
3. Cover the beans with water until there is 2 inches of water above the beans.
4. Heat on high until the water boils, then reduce to medium. Using a slotted spoon, fish out any skins that rise to the top. The more skins you remove, the smoother your hummus will be. Use the back of your spoon to gently break the beans in half against the side of your bowl to help the skins come off. Keep stirring and removing skins until you have about 3/4 cup of skins. You will not get all of them, so don’t worry about being meticulous. Cook for about 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice and the garlic and let steep together.
6. After the chickpeas have cooked and you have removed as much skin as you can, drain and place them into the bowl of a large food processor. Add the warm water, lemon juice and garlic mix, olive oil, canola oil, tahini, salt and cumin. Process for at least 5 minutes until the hummus is extremely smooth. If it looks too thick or grainy, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time while processing until it looks like a buttercream frosting.
7. In a sauté pan, brown the ground sausage on medium high until cooked through. Add the harissa paste and chicken stock and cook until the liquid has reduced by half and is more paste-like than liquid, about 4 minutes.
8. To serve, place about a cup of the hummus in a wide, shallow bowl. Use the back of a spoon to smoothly coat the outer rim and bottom to create a “bowl” of hummus. Spoon some of the sausage mixture into the bottom center and generously drizzle olive oil over the hummus and sausage mixture. Garnish with the chopped parsley, Aleppo pepper and sumac (if desired). Serve  alongside toasted pita, sliced cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, crackers or whatever you are in the mood to eat it with!

Notes

• If you want to speed the process, you can eliminate step 2 (roasting the chickpeas). Roasting  enhances the flavor and helps the skins come off, but skipping it still makes a great hummus.
• Dried beans can also be used. Just soak about 1 cup of dry beans overnight with 2 teaspoons of baking soda, drain and start at step 2.