Hummus: A good ol' (new) family recipe

Do you have family recipes? The kind that are passed down from generation to generation, sometimes getting tweaked here and there, but rarely because great-great-grandma really knew what she was doing? I love those. There's just something heart (and stomach) warming about them. Generations of food knowledge passed down and down.

My family has a few of those, though I don't know if any are quite that old, except maybe the Christmas pudding - which I have yet to acquire a taste for. This hummus is one of them.  This is what I like to think of as a New Family Recipe, it hasn't gone through generations of approval, but my mum, my sister and I all make this frequently within our own homes.

sneaky, sneaky

This recipe came to be a little while after my step-dad moved to the middle east.  When he moved, a lot of new flavours came into our household, and with them came the arrival of hummus - not common in small-town Ontario 14 years ago. I don't know it's original origin, but my mum brought it back with her after a visit and we've been making it ever since.

This is a classic. It's perfectly balanced and can easily be adapted if you feel like mixing things up.  Some variations I've been meaning to try include: spicy, carmalized onion, roasted red pepper and roasted garlic.  All of those would be simple to do with this great base!

From my family to yours, enjoy!

Hummus

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup tahini
1 19oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (reserve some of the water)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chickpea water
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix until well blended and you reach desired consistency - If it's too dry, add and extra Tbsp of chickpea water
2. Enjoy!