Quick and simple hummus

I've been eating a lot of chickpeas lately. I guess I probably have Tunisia to thank for that, seeing as over there you'll struggle to find a starter, main, or even dessert that doesn't contain heaps of the stuff. But that's OK you know. They're delicious, they're versatile and they're kinda-good-for-you-ish. And there's no better way to enjoy them than blitzed up into a big bowl of hummus. Forget the store-bought rubbish, this is the real stuff - give it a go.

The next few posts are going to have a very noticeable theme. Last Christmas my fiancee's parents bought me this fantastic cookbook - Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi - which is full of wonderful recipes and scenes from the Middle East and, having just come back from there myself, it's safe to say I've got the itch. This book is full of the inspiration I needed to take me right back there - if only it could actually take me back to 11am beers by the side of the pool...

A tin of chickpeas. Hardly traditional but the recipe is 'quick and simple' and so that's what it's gonna be. Drain and blitz in a food processor, then add 3 heaped spoonfuls of tahini, a clove of chopped garlic, a couple of teaspoons of ground cumin and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix in a splash of cold water to bring it all together and mix until smooth-ish, but lumpy-ish. If you get me.

And that's it, quick and simple enough for you? Finish it off with a drop of olive oil and stir through a teaspoonful of harissa or chilli paste. Oh and I bloody love capers, so some of them as well. Serve with pitas. I'm out.

Ingredients

1 tin chickpeas
3 tbsps tahini
3 tbsps lemon juice
1 clove garlic
2 tsp cumin
water
olive oil, harissa, capers