Eric's Recipe for Humus

Eric's simple and ever-changing recipe for Humus
If you ask me for my humus recipe again in two months, it will have no doubt changed as I experiment with new ingredients and techniques. Recipes are living things.

You'll need a food processor for this recipe, unless you have an exceptional blender.

Ingredients:
Two 16 ounce cans of Progresso Chick Peas (I like this brand best)
Three or four cloves of garlic (not bulbs, cloves)
One lemon
Eight to twelve sprigs fresh parsley
Two tablespoons of tahini (sesame paste, most grocery stores have it in the "ethnic" isle)
Half teaspoon salt
Half teaspoon ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Optional ingredients:
One medium shallot (this is a new variation to my recipe. Yummy!)
Half teaspoon ground cumin
Half teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Teaspoon Chili powder

In the food processor add the garlic, parsley and the juice of the lemon. Remove any seeds from the lemon and remove the fibrous stalks of the parsley. Add the shallot if you are including it. Pulse the processor until any large pieces of garlic are gone.

Open and rinse well the two cans of chick peas. Add them to the processor along with the tahini, salt, black pepper and the other spices. Add about 1/4 cup of olive oil.

Turn on processor and let the blades begin to puree the mixture. As it thickens, very slowly add more oil so that the consistency is smooth and creamy. This way you can control the amount of oil in the recipe. The more oil you add, the creamier and richer the final product will be.

Occasionally stop and taste. Adjust the spices to your liking, if necessary.

Serve the humus in a bowl with pita bread wedges for dipping. Garnish with chopped scallions or parsley.

OR

Serve in a sandwich wrap: If I had a hollow leg, I could eat this all day.
Tortilla wrap
Several tablespoons of humus
Sliced tomato
Sliced cucumbers
Crumbled feta cheese
Onion slices
Sprigs of lettuce or spring mix
A few dashes of a hot sauce of your choice