Hummus Heaped with Tomatoes and Cucumbers

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From: Smitten Kitchen • Print this Recipe

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Ingredients:

For the Hummus

• 1 ¾ cups cooked, drained chickpeas (from a 15-ounce can) (Save the water!)
• ½ cup tahini paste
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
• 2 small cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• ¾ teaspoon table salt, or more to taste
• Reserved chickpea cooking water

For the Serving

• 4 large pitas, toasted, cut into wedges
• 2 cups prepared hummus (from this recipe, your favorite recipe, or your favorite brand)
• Olive oil
• 1½ cups (8 ounces or 225 grams) cherry tomatoes, chopped small, plus more to taste
• 8 ounces (225 grams) small cucumbers, washed, unpeeled, chopped small
• ¼ medium red onion, chopped small
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Sumac and/or za’atar (optional)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, or a mix of parsley, mint, and chives, plus more for garnish

Directions:

For the Hummus

1. Peel your chickpeas. “I find this is easiest when you take a chickpea between your thumb and next two fingers, arranging the pointy end in towards your palm, and “pop!” the naked chickpea out. Discard the skin.” I find this dreadful and make others do it.
2. In a food processor, blend the chickpeas until powdery clumps form, a full minute, scraping down the sides.
3. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt and blend until pureed.
4. With the machine running drizzle in chickpea cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you get very smooth, light and creamy mixture. I find I need about 4 tablespoons for this volume, but you may need slightly more or less.
5. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt or lemon if needed.
6. Transfer the hummus to a bowl and rest it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

To Serve

1. Spread hummus on a large plate with the back of a spoon, creating swirls and cavities.
2. Mix tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, lemon, about 1½ tablespoons olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.
3. If you have sumac, add about ¼ teaspoon.
4. Stir in herbs.
5. Heap salad on hummus, arrange pita wedges all around.

Finish with additional za’atar, sumac, and/or fresh herbs and enjoy with good company!