Years ago Hummus was just Hummus, a rather plain and boring method to quickly and thoughtlessly quench a bout of sudden hunger. There was one place, however, at least for me as a Tel Avivian, that served up Hummus that was more than just a bowl of creamed chick peas. That was years ago, the place was named Abu Hassan, a hole-in-the-wall off of Jaffa's Yehuda Hayamit Street that served a concoction called Hummus and Fool.
Fast forward twenty years and that concoction has mutated into a much analyzed dish that is as varied and fought-about as the Barbecue recipes that fuel great battles between America's famous Pit Masters. Experts move between various Hummus and Fool proprietors savoring their offerings with judgmental fervor as if those bowls of processed legumes were glasses of fine French wine.
http://www.haaretz.com/travel-in-israel/top-five-hummus-joints-in-tel-aviv-1.259013
With all that in mind I hereby offer a rather quick way to achieve a tasty and colorful rendition of this ubiquitous dish.
Ok...So this is what you need for 4 servings.
For the Fool (The hard part is buying the right Fool...)
1 cup Egyptian Fool (See picture) -
1/3 cup cracked Fool (See picture too)
Tip: Buy these items + Tahini paste at your local Mediterranean Foods Store
A pinch of Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
Make sure you buy the round/small/dark brown Fool (not the larger flatter kidney shaped Fava Bean variant). The cracked fool is light tan in color and comes in small shards and irregular pieces.
For the Hummus
1 can of Chick Peas - Reserve the liquid.
1/3 cup of Tahini Paste
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
4 Garlic cloves (can be less if you prefer less of a bold taste...)
3 tbs Lemon Juice
For the "Sauce"
The liquid from the Chickpea can
A few sprigs of fresh Cilantro
3 Garlic Cloves
1/3 cup of good quality Vinegar
1 fresh Jalapeno Pepper - cored and seeded.
1/4 tsp Cumin Powder
Salt to taste
For garnish
Chopped fresh Parsley
Good quality / tangy EVOO
Paprika
The only real cooking you'll need to do is the Fool:
Soak the "whole" Fool in water for a few hours - it's best overnight.
Wash and drain after the soak, place in 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil.
Just before boiling, add the Baking Soda, Salt and the Cracked Fool.
Reach a boil, do some skimming and then reduce heat to a simmer and let it cook for a really long time - the more the better - 3 to 4 hours or until the Fool is very very soft. Make sure there is enough liquid in the pot. The resulting liquid should be a little "mushy" and thick. If it's not - mash some of the beans in the pot and mix around. Correct the saltiness to your desired palate.
Now make the Hummus:
Use a hand/stick blender and a big deep bowl. Drain the Chickpeas, put in the bowl and reserve the liquid in a separate bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients. Process with the stick blender until you get a thick creamy paste. If it's too thick to process - add just a little bit of the Chickpea liquid. Correct the saltiness - for good Hummus you need it to be a little salty.
Almost done....Make the Sauce:
In a blender, blend all the sauce ingredients until you get a nice, smooth green sauce.
Time to plate and serve:
Use shallow soup bowls if available. Swirl-spread a 1/2 inch layer of Hummus. Ladle a cup of Fool on the Hummus and then drench with another 1/2 cup of sauce. Sprinkle good Paprika and fresh cut Parsley and douse with a generous amount of really good EVOO. Finally zap in the Micro for 20 seconds.
