Hummus

• 3 tbsp tahini
• 75 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 lemons
• 250 g dry chickpeas then soak overnight
• Sea Salt to taste.
• parsley or paprika to garnish
• 1 5 cm peice of kombu optional

1. Rinse and drain chickpeas, and place in a large saucepan. Cover with fresh water, and bring quickly to the boil. Add the kombu, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered ,til tender. (about 1-2 hours) You may need to add more water as the chickpeas cook to avoid them boiling dry.
2. Peel and crush the garlic, and blend with the olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Leave this at room temperature while you are cooking the chickpeas, this will help blend the garlic flavour with the oil, to distribute it through the dish.
3. When the chickpeas are soft, take off the heat and drain, reserving the cooking water to a jug. Place the chickpeas in a blender, with the juice of the lemons and 1/2 a cup of the cooking liquid. When the chickpeas are well blended, add the olive oil and garlic, along with the tahini, and continue blending. More cooking water may be added to acheive desired consistency. Add salt to taste and blend again.
4. Serve with chopped parsley, or sprinkled with paprika.

Adding kombu seaweed to the chickpeas as they cook will soften the chickpeas, and add nutrients to the dish. As the chickpeas cook, the seaweed will slowly disintegrate…don’t worry about removing it at the end, just blend it up with the chickpeas.