One of the best parts of living on the westside of Detroit is being introduced to many delicious Mediterranean dishes from local Dearborn restaurants. I enjoy shawarmas (especially from Bucharest Grill or La Pita), kafta, kabobs, garlic spread, and of course- hummus. Hummus is a Mediterranean dish made of chickpeas/garbanzo beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and usually, tahini sauce. You can easily find hummus in restaurants, grocery stores, or you can try this very simple recipe. If you don’t have a food processor- you could try this in a blender (watch out for the consistency) or a magic bullet- if you didn’t buy one from Walmart one year for Black Friday just to never use it again like me LOL.
Chef’s Note: I paired the hummus spread with easy-to-make garlic and parmesan pita wedges that I made in little than no time. Maybe I’ll create a separate blog post soon, but for now, I’ll include a step-by-step guide on how to make them. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, cut three pitas into triangles, in a bowl- mix 2 tbsp of olive oil, 3 tbsp of chopped parsley, 2 tbsp of Parmesan cheese, and 2 tbsp of minced garlic. Cover pita wedges with oil and garlic mixture and bake on a baking sheet for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool. Eat up!
Ingredients:
1 can Garbanzo Beans / Chickpeas drain but save the liquid from the can
3 tbsp Aquafaba, liquid from beans
1 tbsp Garlic Spread, optional but preferred
4 tbsp Tahini, 3 tbsp if using Garlic spread
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic medium
3 tbsp Lemon Juice
1/3 tsp Cumin
Salt to taste
Paprika, Sumac, Chopped Parsley and/or Pine Nuts for garnish
What to Do:
Add garbanzo beans to a food processor or blender. Add aquafaba (liquid from the can) to reach a creamy consistency.
Process the mixture for about 5 to 7 minutes, be sure to stop within the time frame to mix thoroughly and scrape the sides of the bowl.
Add in tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and cumin, and mix until the hummus has reached a creamy consistency.
Plate hummus spread in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Post a pic, tag @elle.thefoodie, and eat up!