Fresh Garbanzo Bean Hummus

When I was a kid there were only two things on a salad bar that I would eat – black olives and garbanzo beans. The olives had that nice irresistible salty, tinny flavor and the garbanzos were like some magical vegetable candy with snappy skins and a hidden creamy center. Fast forward 30 years to the veggie kingdom of Northern California. It was here that I learned that figs were not exclusive to the Newton and that you could actually get non canned garbanzos. Truthfully, over the years I haven’t come across a ton of fresh garbanzos at most markets; possibly because it’s still too foreign to most folks. So when I found them on my wholesalers produce list I jumped at the opportunity.

Fresh garbanzos are very different from their canned cousins. They are not yellow and dense rather light green and snappy. You can eat them raw, sauté them or roast them in an oven. Toss them with a little sea salt, fresh pepper and lemon juice and you have the makings for the perfect snack!

I decided to test them out using very simple techniques and recipes. We had them as a snack and also used some to make some hummus. I roasted them, un-peeled on a sheet pan in an oven set at 450 degrees for 5 minutes, let them cool, then took off the skins. In the food processor they broke down effortlessly and became creamy in a matter of seconds. The dip came out, well.. magical!

And this is simply why I love to cook so much. At every turn some new food or recipe pops up for me to play with. It’s a nonstop journey of fun and fulfillment. Hopefully you’ll come across fresh garbanzos someday and will have the opportunity to make some yourself. If not then I encourage you to just try something new. Set aside your recipe rolodex and throw caution into the wind. It’s well worth it! Trust me…
Have fun in the kitchen- always!
Chef StevO

Fresh Garbanzo Hummus

2 cups “fresh” garbanzo beans
2/3 cup tahini
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Pinch each of; ground cumin and ground coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor, puree the garbanzos, tahini, 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, garlic, cumin and coriander until smooth, adding more olive oil if the mixture seems too thick.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Garnish with paprika and olive oil. Serve with toasted pita.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 2:49 pm and is filed under Drinks, Sides & Snacks, Soups & Salads, Tips and Advice , chick pea, classes, cooking parties, coriander, cumin, events, fresh garbanzo, garlic, hands on gourmet, hummus recipe, lemon, olive oil, paprika, tahini. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.