Hummus with a figy twist

I mean what did we eat before hummus?! I don’t recall it being a thing when I was a child, it wasn’t a western diet thing, dips were always mayonnaise creamy things or taramasalata (what even was that pink fish eggs stuff!!) but now we have hummus, our kids know hummus, its almost a daily staple in our diets and there isn’t just one flavour of hummus on the shelves, there is now a plethora of choice and its actually really good for us.

This might sound a little crazy but I do actually remember the first ever time I ate hummus! I was in Israel age around 17, my father took us children on a bit of a biblical minibus tour. We  floated in the dead sea, posted prayers in the wailing wall,  visited the cenacle, the room of the last supper and experienced my first falafel wrap with hummus. I vividly remember this, it obviously made such an impression on me. At the time myself and my younger sister were both vegetarian, it was an evening in Jerusalem, from a food market, we didnt really know what it was other than it was vegetarian. Back then there wasn’t loads of choice for vegetarians. Since them I am sure both myself and my sister must have made and consumed gallons and gallons of hummus. Here’s my quick and easy recipe.

How to make your own Hummus

It is super easy and super quick, the tricky part is getting the texture right, so it’s not too lumpy and also the right amount of zingy flavour, often it’s a keep adding a little bit more salt, water, oil and keep tasting before its perfect.

Ingredients

Chickpeas x1 tine

Lemon x1

Tahini x1 large teaspoon

Garlic clove x1

Olive oil a few glugs

Water – to adjust texture

Salt – a few pinches

So, the above ingredients are the basics that all good hummus needs, having made many a pot of hummus I love adding a few not so standard ingredients…..

Peanut butter x1 large teaspoon – I just find this gives a bit more depth to the flavour

Dried fig x1 I don’t always add this, it’s a trick I picked up from a local Lebanese restaurant, it just adds a tiny bit of sweetness to it, and every-time I have added it, everyone has commented on how lovely the hummus is.

Pine nuts – to sprinkle on top

Harissa spice – to add some pizzazz

How to

Squeeze the lemon, then add all the ingredients into a blender, if your can of chickpeas has water in it you can add this as well, you then probably don’t need to add extra water.

Blend for a good minute on high speed. Add more salt, olive oil and water to perfect the taste and texture. Place in a bowl, sprinkle over pine nuts and spices with a touch of olive oil.

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