Chamomile Hummus Recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 c. Raw Chickpeas (soaked overnight, rinsed, boiled until cooked, about 1 hr) or 3-4 cups cooked or canned chickpeas
  • 1/3 c. Tahini
  • 1/4 c. Chamomile herbal tea, room temperature. Prepare tea by steeping 1 TBS Organic Chamomile in 8 oz hot water for 7 minutes, remove chamomile, and allow to cool
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds
  • 1/4 c. olive oil
  • 1/3 c. and 1 TBS strained fresh lemon juice
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • Parsley sprigs
  • Garnish: Black Kalamata olives

Directions

  1. Rinse chickpeas well. You can also place them in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 TBS baking soda to remove the husks. I omit this step and use the whole chickpea, husks and all.
  2. Combine tahini and chamomile tea in a medium sized bowl and stir vigorously with a fork to soften, 2-3 minutes
  3. Place chickpeas in a food processor and grind to a coarse meal. Add tahini, garlic, cumin. Pulverize about 45 seconds. Slowly add olive oil and lemon juice; alternating between each, and continue to process for about 5 minutes, on and off, until the hummus becomes smooth and creamy.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Remove to a serving bowl and sprinkle with paprika (I mix this spice in blender).
  6. Garnish with parsley, black olives. Serve alone with bread or crackers/carrots/cucumbers, or serve as a counterpart to vegetable fritters such as fried eggplant.

Recipe by Dimitra Anne Manesis based on a recipe by Diane Kochilas

Swirl of hummus topped with a sprinkle of red paprika