Ronen Givon and Christian Mouysset say: “Don’t be deceived, though the simplest of processes, making hummus is an art form. It takes practice to get it just right, but once you do the rewards are huge. OK, so you need to remember to soak the chickpeas the day before but there really is very little involved with soaking or cooking them.

“All the ingredients are pretty inexpensive, but that said, do try to find the best tahini (sesame paste), as your hummus will taste so much better. The following recipe is for quite a large quantity, but it stores well for up to three days in the fridge and it’s quickly eaten by the average household. If you like, the recipe is easily halved.

“The cooking time may vary; old chickpeas will take longer to cook than this season’s crop. You’re aiming for very very soft chickpeas, it doesn’t matter if they break up as they’re going to be blitzed anyway. if in doubt, simply scoop out a few chickpeas, throw them at the wall and if they stick, they’re ready!”

Serves 16–20

Makes: 1.8kg/4lb

To prep: 15 minutes

To soak: 12 hours, or overnight

To cook: 1–11/2 hours

Ingredients

For the hummus:

500g/1lb dried chickpeas
1.2 litres/2 pints cold water
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
300g tahini
juice of 2 lemons
sea salt, to taste

For the slow-cooked chickpea topping:

250g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water
700ml/1¼ pints cold water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp ground cumin seeds

To finish:

3 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
tahini sauce
sea salt
paprika, to taste
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for sprinkling

Method

To make the hummus, tip the chickpeas into a bowl and cover with plenty of cold water (they will expand as they soak). Cover and leave to soak – there’s no need to refrigerate them – for 12 hours, or overnight. Soak your chickpeas for the slow-cooked topping at the same time in a separate bowl. There aren’t any shortcuts to this, just aim to put them to soak the day before you need them.

Drain the hummus chickpeas and put into a medium saucepan. Pour in the fresh measured cold water so that the water only covers the chickpeas by about 2cm (¾in). Stir in the bicarbonate of soda, then bring the water to the boil. Don’t be tempted to add salt at this stage as it can make the chickpeas tough. Keep a watchful eye as it comes to the boil as it can easily boil over.

Skim off scum, if liked, with a slotted spoon. Cook over a medium heat for 1–1½ hours until the chickpeas are very soft. If the water level seems to be going down too quickly then partially cover the pan with a lid to help reduce evaporation, but don’t cover the top completely or the pan will boil over. Keep an eye on the water level and top up with a little extra boiling water from the kettle if needed, especially towards the end of cooking.

Stir from time to time, stirring more towards the end of cooking, as the chickpeas take on a soupy texture as there is less water in the pan.

Once cooked, drain the liquid if there is a lot, but don’t throw it away – keep it for later to adjust the consistency. Spread the chickpeas over the surface of a large roasting tin and leave to cool.

You should have about 1.25kg/2lb cooked chickpeas. Purée in batches with any liquid from the roasting tin in a food processor, adding the tahini, lemon juice and salt to taste until you have a creamy, velvety smooth consistency. Adjust the consistency with some of the reserved cooking liquid or water. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your machine. Make sure it’s nice and thick, but smooth with no lumps.

Transfer the hummus to a large plastic container, spread it level, then press on a well-fitting lid. Chill until needed.

To make the slow-cooked chickpea topping, drain the soaked chickpeas, put into a medium saucepan and pour in the water so that the chickpeas are covered by about 2cm/¾in. Add the oil and cumin and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum, if liked, then partially cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat for 40–60 minutes until the chickpeas are tender but still a good shape. Drain in a sieve set over a bowl to catch the cooking liquid.

Spread the hummus over 4 serving plates and make a small well in the middle. Add a few spoonfuls of chickpeas to each well. Dress each portion with lots of olive oil, lemon juice and tahini sauce, then season to taste. Moisten with some of the reserved cooking liquid, if necessary and top with a little paprika and chopped parsley.

Tip: quarter a white onion and soak in a bowl of water for 30 minutes. Drain and peel off the individual layers, then use to scoop up the hummus and chickpeas.

From Hummus to Halva: Recipes from a Levantine Kitchen by Ronen Givon and Christian Mouysset (£12.99, Pavilion Books), out now

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