HIGH'S HUMMUS WITH PITA CRISPS

High's Hummus with Pita Crisps image

High's Café is located in Comfort, Texas (about twenty-three miles south of Fredericksburg). In addition to their tasty sandwiches and homemade soups, friends Brent and Denise make the best hummus ever. A wonderful informal party appetizer, hummus is easy to make, healthy, and a favorite for kids and adults alike. I serve it with toasted pita wedges and either carrot or celery sticks (or both) for dipping.

Yield makes about 3 cups

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

2 (16-ounce) cans chickpeas (about 4 cups), rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (about 3 medium cloves)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
2 tablespoons tahini
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, for garnish
Greek olives, for garnish
Chopped fresh tomatoes, for garnish
8 white or whole wheat pita pockets
About 1/4 cup olive oil, for brushing
Kosher salt, for sprinkling

Steps:

TO MAKE THE HUMMUS: Combine the chickpeas, garlic, cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika, salt, lemon juice, and tahini in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add just enough olive oil through the feed tube to get the mixture turning, usually about 2 tablespoons. (Too much oil at the beginning will prevent the finer pieces of chickpea from grinding smoothly, creating a coarse blend.) Scrape down the sides. Run the processor until the chickpeas are ground completely. Once the mixture is smooth, slowly add up to 4 tablespoons more olive oil to achieve a silky consistency. The folks at High's say, "Run your machine a long time. We almost whip it." I let the machine run for another 3 minutes or so. Spoon the hummus into a serving bowl; set aside.
TO MAKE THE PITA CRISPS: Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a knife, slit open the pitas along their edges and pull each apart into 2 rounds. With a pastry brush, lightly paint both sides of each pita half with olive oil. Sprinkle both sides with salt and cut each round into 8 wedges. Lay the pita wedges in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake until light golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.
To serve, drizzle olive oil over the hummus and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Accompany with pita crisps, Greek olives, and chopped fresh tomatoes.
Tahini is made by pulverizing sesame seeds into a paste with a consistency similar to peanut butter. Many regular grocery stores stock tahini, so ask for help if you can't easily find it yourself, or try stores that specialize in Middle Eastern food.