CREAMY HUMMUS
with Olive Oil & Sumac
The Ritual
Chickpeas, tahini and lemon blended until beautifully creamy, then served with sumac and a generous pool of extra virgin olive oil - this delicious dip calls for sharing, smearing and oohing over.
SERVES 4-6
INGREDIENTS
400 g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
or 200 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight80 g tahini
1 small garlic clove
Juice of 1 large lemon
½ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
3–4 ice cubes
2–4 tbsp ice-cold water, as needed, hold back first before adding.
2 tbsp Soleá Ritual Extra Virgin Olive Oil
To Finish
Soleá Ritual Extra Virgin Olive Oil — generously
Sumac or ground chilli
Flaky sea salt
Warm flatbread or toasted sourdough
Prepare the Chickpeas
For an everyday hummus, canned chickpeas work beautifully. Drain and rinse well.
If you have a little more time, soak dried chickpeas overnight. Drain, cover with fresh water and simmer until very soft—they should crush easily between your fingers. This gives an especially creamy hummus.
Blend
Add the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, cumin and sea salt to a food processor or high-speed blender.
Blend until everything begins to come together.
Add the Ice
With the blender running, add the ice cubes one at a time.
Continue blending for several minutes, adding a little ice-cold water as needed, until the hummus becomes pale, light and beautifully creamy.
Don't rush the blending. The ice is the secret to its almost whipped texture.
Add the olive oil and blend briefly once more. Taste and adjust with lemon or sea salt.
At the Table
Spoon the hummus generously into a shallow bowl, creating a deep well in the centre with the back of your spoon.
Pour in plenty of extra virgin olive oil, allowing it to pool around the hummus and gather in the centre.
Finish simply with sumac or ground chilli and a little flaky sea salt.
Serve with warm flatbread or toasted sourdough for dragging through the hummus and olive oil.
Don’t be shy with the olive oil.
Makes: for 4-6 as a complimentary dish.
Time: 15 minutes prep.
To Serve — The Ritual Moment
Slice some bread or tear apart some fresh pita generously.
Serve with charred chicken skewers, beef keftas - while still warm.
Pool some olive oil, light sprinkle of flor de sal.
Eat slowly, let the conversation flow, turn off the phones and enjoy each others company.
From the Kitchen
Every time I make hummus, I think of the years I lived in Dubai. On evenings off, friends and I would gather around tables in Lebanese and Middle Eastern restaurants, eating the kind of food you remember long after you leave.
Over time, I became friendly with a few of the chefs and was lucky enough to learn some of their dishes and, more importantly, the small techniques behind them.
Hummus was one of those lessons.
The chickpeas were soaked overnight with a little baking soda and cooked until incredibly soft. Ice was added while blending to make the hummus lighter and almost whipped. And at the very end, olive oil was streamed in slowly—much like making a dressing—to bring everything together into something beautifully smooth and creamy.
They're small things, but they make all the difference.
Years later, this is still how I make hummus at home. And every time I do, I'm taken back to those tables in Dubai.
A Note on Sumac
Sumac is one of those ingredients I never tire of. Deep ruby in colour, with a bright, almost lemony tartness, it brings acidity without adding liquid and has a subtle fruitiness all its own.
I love it scattered generously over hummus, where its sharpness cuts through the richness of the tahini and olive oil. A little pinch changes everything.
If you find good sumac, keep it close.
