Chickpea Spread – Rich Hummus with homemade raw tahini

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Cooked chickpeas

1. 1
   Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking liquid.

   Colander

For the Tahini sauce

1. 2
   Grind the sesame seeds in a powerful blender about 3 minutes, until smooth paste forms.

   Blender

   💡At first the sesame looks like dry crumbs: keep grinding, scraping down the sides, and after a few minutes it releases its oil and turns liquid.

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
2. 3
   Taste and adjust the seasoning.
3. 4
   Mix the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cumin and season with salt.

To assemble

1. 5
   Transfer the tahini sauce to a food processor, add the chickpeas, still warm, and process 3–5 minutes, until it is completely smooth.

   Food processor

   💡Grind the chickpeas while they are still warm: warm chickpeas grind into a smoother cream than cold ones.
2. 6
   Add part of the olive oil and process for another minute.

   Food processor
3. 7
   Gradually add the water, until the hummus is creamy and airy, and a little thinner than the texture you want: it thickens as it stands.

   💡Ice water, not ordinary water, gives hummus an airy, pale texture: the tahini emulsifies with it like mayonnaise.
4. 8
   Spread on a plate, make a well in the center and add the rest of the olive oil and paprika.