My mother in law’s killer hummus…and how I upped her game

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In our family, my mother-in-law’s hummus was pretty universally acknowledged as The Best. Holiday, party or celebration? She was there with the hummus, no questions asked. And long before it became the ubiquitous staple that it is today, she made hummus that converted skeptics and enticed reluctant teenagers to commit to car rides and hours of enforced family time. It was that good.

Reproducing her hummus recipe

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Agnes was a 4’11”, 90 lb force of nature. A first generation Syrian-American, she  took great pride in both her heritage and her authentic Middle Eastern cooking.  Sadly,  she died a few years ago from complications of Alzheimer’s disease and when we cleaned out her home I was lucky enough to inherit her recipes.  She was the type of cook who used a spoonful of this and a handful of that, so when I found her attempts to write out this recipe that she had made so often, it was greatly appreciated.  It took a few false starts before I realized that that “1 cup” didn’t literally mean one cup, but instead “1 (5 oz) Dixie cup”… the type that she always kept on the counter for the grandchildren. But of course!

With the proportions nailed down we were able to recreate her amazing hummus….it was rich, but also light, perfectly smooth and with a bright tang from the lemon juice. My kids hate recipe tinkering, but I just can’t help it.  Could it be even better? Two small ingredient changes and I was satisfied: I switched to Soom tahini and used freshly squeezed lemons instead of the bottled juice that was more readily available to Agnes.

For really great hummus, the texture is at least as important as the flavor. One of the chief complaints about supermarket hummus is the grainy consistency. Even homemade can feel gritty, leading some cooks to feel that making their own isn’t worth the trouble. The key here is patience! You need to keep blending, long after the ingredients are combined…when the hummus starts to warm, the mixture will be emulsified, light and smooth.

A note on ingredients:

You can make delicious hummus with products from any regular supermarket, but there are a few brands that I recommend to take your hummus to the next level:

Chick peas: Freshly cooked are fabulous, but you need to plan ahead for overnight soaking and cooking. If you choose to use canned, as I do most of the time, Progresso makes the best tasting ones I have found. (Cooks Illustrated agrees). Goya also has its fans: https://food52.com/blog/21680-canned-chickpeas.  To remove the skins or leave them on? Separating the skins is a true labor of love as it is ridiculously time consuming, although it will produce a smoother hummus. Is it worth it? For me, no, but go ahead…try it once and see what you think!

Tahini: sesame paste lends richness and a nutty flavor to the hummus. Some brands are more bitter than others, and some supermarket tahini is not as fresh as it might be. I find that Soom is consistently mild and delicious. https://www.soomfoods.com  or buy at Amazon.com: https://amzn.to/2LSYP6m

Lemon juice: Bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch, but there is really no substitute for freshly squeezed.

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