Hummus

May 7 03: It's my first day. What better way to start then by learning to make the hummus. Of course I knew how to make the hummus, but each restaurant/home has its way of preparing the quintessential Lebanese mezza dish. For 1kg of humus, add 1/2 tbs. of baking soda and leave to soak overnight. The next day simmer the chickpeas until it's cooked, take out the froth as it boils. There is a little white spot on the chickpea. When it's cooked, then it's time to stop cooking and to drain in cold water. Leave to rest. Grind in a food processor. In the restaurant, they have a huge industrial machine that makes a very smooth paste - there lies one of the secrets - There is another secret, but I won't share it with you because it might upset the chef. Sorry! Let's just say it has to do with the temperature as you process the beans. Enough said...So for 1kg of hummus, mix about 500g of tahini, 1/2 lemon or more (taste for goodness sake), salt, and 1/2 or 1 crushed garlic (depends on if you like the taste of garlic to overpower the taste of your hummus). I don't! Once the hummus is done, top it with bits of fried meat or fried pine nuts drenched in clarified butter or just add a bit of olive oil and a dash of red pepper powder or paprika. I remember in our family restaurant, Kebabs and Things, I use to sprinkle the hummus with a dash of cumin powder too... Delicious!