CRAFT by Under My Host® Issue No. 17 Made in America: Part II | Page 15

small tin of ground sumac, an
essential spice in Lebanese cook-
ing, and a bottle of ZéTüne, a
cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
from Lebanon. The only things I
needed to bring to the table were
garlic and lemons. And while I’m
all for authentic ingredients, that
seemed like an area in which I
could cheat.
I placed my wife’s monster food
processor on the counter and the
chickpeas, once done simmering,
were added after they cooled.
Again, patience is apparently the
key to great hummus. Once the
chickpeas cooled I added garlic
and flipped the food processor
switch. Blending required multi-
ple pauses to scrape down the sides of the bowl, each of which blasted the smell of
chickpeas across the house. After a few minutes the future hummus was as smooth
as could be, so in went the tahini and lemon.
After another minute processing, the hummus still seemed far too thick. I immedi-
ately thought I had screwed up, then remembers that I was supposed to add back in
some of the cooking water. Sweet salvation! As I introduced water a tablespoon at a
time, the hummus slowly turned into the light delight I had been promised. I spooned
the hummus into a bowl and salivation soon followed.
I did my best to create the lovely lip around the perimeter and the divot in the middle
that my guy at Falafel Island does with such ease, but admittedly I was too excited
for precision at this point. The Lebanese olive oil was drizzled, the sumac was dust-
ed, and I was ready. Instead of veggies, I used a spoon.
All that time and energy, most of which was spent sitting on the couch, was worth
it. The flavors burst from the hummus like nothing a store-bought version has ever
done. It was light, smooth, creamy, and oh-so delicious. The tahini came through
perfectly, and the olive oil and sumac were all that was needed to finish the dip. All
of the extras you see in store-bought hummus must be to hide the lack of flavor.
Abood changed the way I looked at hummus. Her traditional and high-quality ingre-
dients took what was once the bane of my parties to the top of my must-have list.
If I were a bigger man, I would send apologies to all those who were greeted with a
hummus-induced eye roll. Instead I’ll just regain their affection with another Maureen
Abood Market Smooth Hummus Kit.
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