Creamy Hummus with Crispy Roasted Chickpeas and Aegean Sea Salt

The secret to silky hummus is not the blender. It is starting with dried chickpeas and cooking them until they are softer than you would ever eat them whole. Blend them while still warm with tahini, lemon and ice-cold water, and finish with a proper pool of extra virgin olive oil. The crispy roasted chickpeas on top add the crunch.

Serves 6 as a meze - Soak overnight - 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 250g APSOGO Organic Greek Chickpeas
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 100g tahini
• Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
• 1 small garlic clove
• 4-6 tbsp ice-cold water
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• APSOGO Greek Sea Salt Blossom

For the topping

• 2 tbsp APSOGO Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus plenty to finish
• 1/2 tsp APSOGO Organic Greek Oregano
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (Aleppo or pul biber if you have it)

Method

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight with the bicarbonate of soda. Drain, rinse and simmer in fresh water for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes until very soft. Drain.
2. Set aside a large handful of chickpeas for the topping. Pat them dry, toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, the oregano and a pinch of salt, and roast at 220°C (200°C fan) for 20 minutes until crisp.
3. Blend the lemon juice, garlic and tahini for 1 minute until pale and thick. Add the warm chickpeas, cumin and 1 tsp sea salt and blend again, adding ice-cold water a spoon at a time, for 3-4 minutes until silky.
4. Spread the hummus in a shallow bowl, making a swirl with the back of a spoon.
5. Pile the roasted chickpeas in the middle, fill the swirl with olive oil, and finish with chilli flakes and a pinch of sea salt blossom.

Tip

For the smoothest hummus, blend the chickpeas while they are still warm. Serve with warm pitta or our Crispy Red Lentil Chips.

All the APSOGO ingredients in this recipe are available at apsogo.com.