This recipe is called Basic Hummus adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi’s rendition. It appears in the book Genius Recipes by Food52. Most from-scratch hummus recipes – by soaking dried chickpeas overnight – involve simmering the chickpeas for 1½ to 2 hours. Ottolenghi and Tamimi’s are done in 20 to 40 minutes. Briefly cooking the soaked chickpeas directly with baking soda scruffs up the skins and allows them to cook much faster and puree smoother. This recipe is excellent.

1¼ cups dried chickpeas
1 tsp baking soda
6½ cups water
1 cup plus 2 tbsp tahini (light roast)
4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, crushed
6½ tbsp ice cold water
1 pinch salt, or to taste
1 dash good-quality olive oil, to serve (optional)

The night before, put the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with cold water at least twice their volume. Leave to soak overnight.

The next day, drain chickpeas. Place a medium saucepan over high heat; add drained chickpeas and baking soda. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cook, skimming off any foam and any skins that float to the surface. The chickpeas will need to cook for 20 to 40 minutes depending on the type and freshness, sometimes even longer. Once done, they should be very tender, breaking up easily when pressed between your thumb and finger, almost but not quite mushy.

Drain chickpeas. Place chickpeas in a food processor; process until you get a stiff paste. With machine running, add tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic, and 1½ teaspoons salt. Slowly drizzle in ice water; allow it to mix for about 5 minutes until you get a very smooth and creamy paste.

Transfer hummus to a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. If not using immediately, chill until needed. Make sure to take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving. To serve, top with a thin layer of good quality olive oil and triangles of warm pita bread.

Makes about 6 servings.