Hummus [ حُمُّص بطحينة ]

Hummus: a Levantine Arab dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It is a popular food throughout the Middle East. The full Arabic name of the prepared spread is حُمُّص بطحينة , which means chickpeas with tahini.

Mirror Mirror on the wall...which store-bought hummus is the fairest tastiest of them all?

Serious Eats went in search of the best store-bought brands of hummus and here are their winners:

The Richest, Most decadent:
Sabra
Sonny & Joe's (hard to find outside of NYC)

The Most Straightforward Chickpea Flavor:
Cedars
Tribe

Best Sans Tahini:
Trader Joe's Tahini Free

My personal favorite called "Tuscan White Bean Hummus" and it is from Trader Joe's. It is a little bit lighter in color than traditional hummus and has tons of garlicky goodness packed into it..just heaven! They garnish the top with some olive oil, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and herbs. Trust me, so delicious. You can find it next to their other dips and hummus products in the open cooler display.

If you would rather make your own at home, here is a basic recipe to get you started. The cool thing about hummus is that you can make it as simple or fancy as you would like by adding all sorts of additional ingredients like chipotle peppers (ala Bobby Flay), sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, black beans, green peas, cajun spices, etc...

BASIC HUMMUS

1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

Procedure:
1. Add chickpeas into the bowl of a food processor, along with lemon juice, garlic, and
2. Begin to purée the mixture, slowly adding the olive oil through the feed tube of the food processor until an emulsion, or creamy consistency, forms.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Once you nail the basic version you can create your own version with added flavors. My mother makes an amazing home made hummus by adding sesame tahini to her recipe...it takes the hummus to a whole different level...so good.  You can also add sesame seeds (toast them if you are feeling fancy) for added texture and sesame flavor.

SESAME HUMMUS
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
1 pound, 13 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup sesame tahini
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt

Procedure:
1. In a small sauté pan, toast the sesame seeds, over medium heat, turning very often for 30 seconds. Remove to a bowl to cool.
2. Add all the ingredients, including the sesame seeds (reserving a few for garnish), to the food processor except the water. Puree until very smooth. Add the water as needed to obtain the smooth, thick, desired texture.
3. Top with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and any remaining toasted sesame seeds.