Humus

Servings: 6

Preparation:
Wash the chickpeas and soak overnight in 2 cups of water. Add 1 more cup of water and cook in pressure cooker for about 1 hour, until the chickpeas are very soft. Remove from cooking liquid, mash and pass through a sieve. Peel the garlic, wash and crush, add it to the chickpeas together with 2/3 cup olive oil, tahina, lemon juice, salt and 1/2 tea spoon red pepper. Add 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and mix. Place on a serving dish. Wash the parsley and separate the leaves and use them to decorate the dish, sprinkling sumac and cumin among the leaves. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the remaining red pepper and stir a couple of times, turn off the heat and slowly pour over the paste.

Nutritional Value: (in approximately one serving)
Energy 478 cal, Protein 14.1 g, Fat 32.9 g, Carbohydrates 33.3 g, Calcium 96 mg, Iron 5.24 mg, Phosphorus 173 mg, Zinc 2 mg, Sodium 807 mg, Vitamin A 201 iu, Thiamine 0.31 mg, Riboflavin 0.09 mg, Niacin 1.80 mg, Vitamin C 3 mg, Cholesterol 0 mg.

Notes: Hummus is a popular food from the southern provinces and in the Middle East. It is mostly served as an appetizer (meze) at cocktail and tea parties. In some regions boiled potatoes are used instead of chickpeas and is known as the "Potato Humus".