Hummus

Growing up in the Los Angeles area in the 1970s and 1980s, hummus was not the ubiquitous supermarket item that it is in the 21st Century. None of my non-Jewish friends ate it or even knew what it was, even many Ashkenazi Jews weren’t that familiar with it. My dad was Israeli, however, so he loved it and our family would it enjoy it whenever possible. I remember eating with falafel at Me & Me (Me ve Me) falafel stand on Fairfax Ave between Melrose and Beverly. Closer to home in the San Fernando Valley, we would often have a nice sit down Israeli dinner at Tempo restaurant on Ventura Boulevard in Encino which featured various hummus selections. Many years later in 2016, the best selection of fresh hummus that I enjoyed was at an hummus specialty restaurant in Akko, Israel that my cousins Dorit and Dov took my family to.
– Jon Varsano

• Ingredients

  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 large can of garbanzo beans, washed and drained
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

• Directions

  1. Over a medium flame, heat water, baking soda, and garbanzo beans in a small pot.
  2. Boil for 30 minutes, until beans are very tender.
  3. Drain water and place chickpeas in a food processor or blender.
  4. Add the garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt and olive oil.
  5. Blend everything until very smooth.
  6. If needed, add lemon juice or salt to taste.
  7. Garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

• Varsano Variations

  • Add a couple of dashes of smoked paprika (Hungarian, if available)
  • Sprinkle with Herbs D’Provence
  • Sprinkle with Za’tar and Sumac.
  • Indent a bowl shape in a scoop of hummus and add tahini and chopped parsley