Israeli Hummus with Whole Chickpeas (Recipe)

To make his classic-style hummus supersmooth, chef Michael Solomonov of Zahav in Philadelphia soaks dried chickpeas overnight with baking soda to soften them.  Then she simmers the chickpeas with unpeeled garlic cloves (he peels them later) so that the chickpeas soak up the garlic flavor and the garlic becomes creamy and mellow.  For garnish, Solomonov pulls out all the stops, topping the hummus with tahini, cumin, paprika, parsley, whole chickpeas and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Ingredients

1/2 pound dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water with 1 tablespoon baking soda, then drained and rinsed

7 large garlic cloves, unpeeled

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup tahini, at room temperature (see note)

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt

Paprika, for garnish

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Pita chips, for serving

Makes about 4 cups

Active: 15 min; Total; 1hr 15min plus overnight soaking

Steps

1.  In a medium saucepan, cover the chickpeas and garlic with 2 inches of water; bring to a boil.  Simmer over moderately low heat until chickpeas are tender; about 40 minutes.  Drain, reserving 2/3 cups of the cooking water and 2 tablespoons of the chickpeas.  Rinse the chickpeas under cold water and peel the garlic cloves.

2.  In a food processor, puree the chickpeas with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 6 of the garlic cloves.  Add the 1/4 teaspoon of cumin and 1/4 cup each of the tahini and lemon juice; process the mixture until creamy.  Season the hummus with salt and transfer to a serving bowl.

3.  Wipe out the food processor.  Add the remaining tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, reserved cooking water and garlic clove and puree.  

4.  Using a ladle, make a well in the hummus, then spoon in the tahini mixture.  garnish the hummus with cumin, paprika, the reserved whole chickpeas and the chopped parsley.  Drizzle with olive oil and serve with pita chips.

NOTE:  Tahini has a tendency to separate, so be sure to stir the sesame paste thoroughly before measuring.

MAKE AHEAD:  The ungarnished hummus and cook chickpeas can be refrigerated separately for up to 2 days.