Serves 4-6
Preparation time 1 hour 15 minutes, plus soaking overnight
450g (1lb) dried chickpeas, washed and drained
juice of 5 lemons
1 bulb garlic, peeled and finely chopped
450g (1lb) tahini
1 tsp salt, or to taste
140-285ml (1/4-1/2 pint) water
1/2 tsp paprika
Turn the washed chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them with clean water. Leave to soak overnight or until ready to use. Drain, rinse and drain them then turn into a pressure cooker, just cover with water and cook at pressure for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze the lemons and prepare the garlic and put to one side. When the chickpeas are cooked, cool the pressure cooker under cold running water, drain the chickpeas and cool under more cold running water. Turn the chickpeas, a little at a time, into a mixing bowl and mash them roughly. Repeat until all the chickpeas have been mashed (if you like, you may reserve a small handful of whole chickpeas for use later, to decorate the hummus). Add the lemon juice, garlic and tahini to the chickpeas and stir well. Add salt to taste and a little water to make a slightly runny mixture.
Ladle the mixture into a hand grinder (e.g. Mouli) and turn it through a medium blade to make a paste. Add more water if necessary. Turn the hummus into a serving dish, sprinkle with the paprika and decorate with the whole chickpeas if desired. Serve at once with warm, fresh pitta breads and a salad. This will keep 24 hours, though it rarely lasts that long in our house!
