Necessity is not only the mother of invention but sometimes it becomes the fairy god-mother too. Take Hummous, or to be specific, take Tahini. When we moved out here first I couldn’t find any anywhere (I have now but its too late) so, I decided if I was to continue to enjoy Hummous I would have to make my own Tahini paste. The results were and are spectacular, moving the Hummous up a whole gear of taste sensations.
Here’s what you do to make your own Tahini. Fry about six tablespoons of sesame seeds in a tablespoon of sesame (or olive) oil along with a heaped teaspoon of whole cumin seeds. Do this slowly on a gentle heat until the seeds turn beige and then golden. Tip these into a liquidizer (a food processor won’t do the job finely enough) and whizz (adding more oil if necessary) until it becomes smooth- can take a while. Voila ; Tahini. Now add this and lemon juice, salt pepper and garlic to your cooked (or tinned) chick peas and put into a processor until smooth(ish) chill, and then spread on hot pitta bread, toast or crackers and feel your taste buds tingle. Great standby for the Christmas.