Chamomile Hummus

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 c. Raw Chickpeas (soaked overnight, rinsed, boiled until cooked, about 1 hr) or 3-4 cups cooked or canned chickpeas
• 1/3 c. Tahini
• 1/4 c. Chamomile herbal tea, room temperature. Prepare tea by steeping 1 TBS Organic Chamomile in 8 oz hot water for 7 minutes, remove chamomile, and allow to cool
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/3 c. and 1 TBS strained fresh lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• Parsley sprigs
• Garnish: Black Kalamata olives

Directions

1. Rinse chickpeas well. You can also place them in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 TBS baking soda to remove the husks. I omit this step and use the whole chickpea, husks and all.
2. Combine tahini and chamomile tea in a medium sized bowl and stir vigorously with a fork to soften, 2-3 minutes
3. Place chickpeas in a food processor and grind to a coarse meal. Add tahini, garlic, cumin. Pulverize about 45 seconds. Slowly add olive oil and lemon juice; alternating between each, and continue to process for about 5 minutes, on and off, until the hummus becomes smooth and creamy.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Remove to a serving bowl and sprinkle with paprika (I mix this spice in blender).
6. Garnish with parsley, black olives. Serve alone with bread or crackers/carrots/cucumbers, or serve as a counterpart to vegetable fritters such as fried eggplant.

Recipe by Dimitra Anne Manesis, Based on a recipe by Diane Kochilas