Best ever houmous

Why best ever? Because I have made houmous a few times before and I really didn't enjoy it homemade. I wanted it, dare I say, to be more like the ones in the shops. I knew the problems were the quantities and the texture, which is mainly down to the amount of tahini used - I used to just guess and it didn't ever work out well. It was always rather claggy. This version isn't. I think the splash of water makes a huge difference too and this isn't mentioned in any recipes I've seen. I simply tried it with some water and it worked. I had a look at a recipe for cannelini bean houmous in a favourite recipe book, tweaked it a little to taste and, by jove, I think I got it! Try it and see what you think. Better than the shop stuff? I like to think so. 

To make a bowl the size of a large shop bought pot:
400 g tin of chick peas, drained and rinsed (or same amount of cooked chick peas)
1 fat clove of garlic
2 generous tablespoons of tahini 
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 
Juice of 1/2 lemon (plus more to taste)
a good amount of salt and pepper
splash of cold water


Put your chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic clove and seasoning into a processor. Whizz, then add a splash of water (about 2 tablespoons), and whizz again. I believe this water is what makes the difference between a claggy, unpleasant consistency and a smooth enjoyable texture so don't skip it! Taste and adjust seasoning and lemon juice accordingly. I find I always add more salt and it makes an enormous difference. I wouldn't attempt this without a food processor as it gives a really nice, smooth houmous.