Hummus in a Hurry

I was hosting an event for En's birthday and had as much on my plate as I could handle, but when looking at the table, it needed something else. And what is both hearty and easy to make in a flash? Hummus.

I've done I've done the traditional  hummus before, but for some reason it takes me a long time and the consistancy is spotty until you add heaps of oil, and I just can't justify ingesting that much oil in one mouthful. To do the traditional hummus properly, you need to soak the chick peas from dry overnight with a touch of baking soda. This is the only way to produce the right consistency and great flavour. Using canned chick peas can still be done well, and after much tweaking, this version below insures each bite is yummy and smooth while still healthy if you choose to eat the whole tub.

Served with regular Breton crackers. It disappeared after two refills.

Hummus

Chick Peas		750 ml can
Onion		1, medium
Garlic		5 cloves
Olive Oil		1/2 cup
Lemon Zest		1 Lemon
Lemon Juice		1 Lemon
Tahini		4 tbs
Black Pepper		3 tsp (ground)
Smoked Paprika		2 tsp (ground)
Sea Salt		1 tsp (ground)
Water		1/4 cup
Canola Oil		2 tbsp

Garnish

Flat Leaf Parsley		Leaves, chopped

Preparation:

1. Chop onion and mince garlic
2. Heat a pot on medium with canola oil
3. Add onion and stir
4. After a few minutes, add garlic
5. Saute until translucent
6. Move mixture to sides of the pot and in the cleared middle, toast paprika and ground black pepper. Be very careful not to burn them! Pay attention to scent and colour.
7. When toasted, stir mixture together
8. Add chick peas and stir to coat
9. Zest lemon directly into the pot
10. Add Tahini
11. Stir and allow to cook until mixture has softened
12. When mositure has evaporated, add the water to loosen all the flavour on the bottom of the pan and also helps the mixture to soften further. This will give a creamy texture with flavour without watering it down
13. When mixture has heated through and starts to thicken, add olive oil and lemon juice
14. Remove pot from heat
15. Add salt
16. With a stick blender, blitz entire pot until creamy smooth. Add more olive oil (after blitzing) to loosen if necessary. Keep in mind - beating oil emulsifies, so always do this at the end.
17. Refrigerates well for a few days, so good to make in advance if you're pressed for time