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How To Make Houmous
Originally from the Middle East, houmous is a simple dish that’s now widely enjoyed across the world. It’s quick and easy to make using only a handful of ingredients and can be enjoyed as a tasty snack with crispy fresh veg, in a sandwich or as part of a meze platter. For those who enjoy a veggie or vegan diet, chickpeas make a good source of protein.
Chickpeas are plentiful in the countries of the Middle East and the word ‘houmous’ is derived from the Arabic for ‘chickpea’. Historians have noted a dish similar to modern houmous being eaten as early as the 13th century.
To make your houmous, take a 400g can of cooked chickpeas (or soak 400g dried chickpeas overnight then simmer in fresh water until tender). Crush a clove of garlic and mix it into a tablespoon of tahini, along with the juice of a lemon and a pinch of cumin. Put the chickpeas and tahini mix into a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Top tips for creating a tantalising houmous:
1. Ingredients are key – when picking out your ingredients make sure you select quality produce – you’ll really taste the difference in the finished dish. So squeeze your own fresh lemons rather than using bottled lemon juice, crush pungent fresh garlic and opt for fruity extra-virgin olive oil. And make sure you select a rich and flavour-packed tahini for that unmistakable sesame hit.
2. Don’t rush – through making houmous is easy, it can’t be rushed. Soak your chickpeas overnight so that when they’re cooked they’ll be soft and easy to mash.
3. Make it less fiddly – make removing your chickpea skins easy by adding a sprinkle of baking soda and your chickpeas to a bowl of ice-cold water. This will encourage the skins to rub off more easily.
4. Be generous – don’t worry about being exact with quantities and add lemon juice, seasoning and tahini to your own taste.
5. Now let’s get mixing – to reduce the arm ache and achieve the perfect texture use a food processor to mix all the ingredients. A trick for achieving the perfect light-coarse texture is to combine all of the other ingredients before adding the chickpeas. Then give the houmous a few good pulses, stopping before the mixture gets too soft.
6. To finish – drizzle your fruity olive oil over the houmous and serve immediately with warmed pitta, carrots and cucumber for scooping and some salty black olives.
How To Make Short Crust Pastry
Pastry, in all its various forms, is such a versatile thing to make and serve, be it on top of a pie, as a sweet and flaky croissant or around a meaty sausage roll. Making successful pastry dishes takes patience, a bit of practice and careful handling. By following these simple tips and tricks your short crust pastry will be golden, crunchy and light. Oh, and delicious, too, of course.
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