Plastic Hummus...Can it be saved?

Question

So I was watching Delicious Destinations & had a major hankering for some authentic hummus. I had 2 cans of organic chickpeas instead of dried, so I followed this epicurious recipe: https://www.epicurious.....

For the first time, I actually peeled the skins off (never again) the chickpeas and then I boiled them for 20 minutes, as the recipe states, before putting them in my Vitamix. I normally use the food processor but I was feeling like it was a special occasion that deserved the extra zip of the blender.
I added the juice of two lemons & zest, a little olive oil, salt and, as the recipe stated, some of the reserved liquid the chickpeas cooked in.
My vitamix was making extremely terrible grinding noises and was struggling. Panicking, I added more of the liquid, oil & lemon juice, but the blender still wasn't spinning, to the point where I was thinking I was breaking it over this, so I stopped it.
The end result: plastic looking hummus...so gelatinous that the entire thing could be spooned out and "molded" into something. Its like clay or play-dough...see image below. Its likely the ugliest thing I've ever made.
I spent all this time on this hummus...something that normally takes me 8 minutes at the most to make so...How the heck do I fix it??

Nancy · Answer

Thanks.

KLS · Answer

Nancy, one of Kenji's recipes calls for peeling the chick peas.  I'd never do that.I still just like making it in my food processor

KLS · Answer

I totally missed that there was no tahini!  I'm feeling stupid now, LOL

Emily · Answer

This sounds delicious, &amp;amp;looks beautiful, thank you so much! I actually skipped the tahini all together the last time I made it &amp;amp; it still tasted great &amp;amp; lemony (my favorite!, with sun-dried tomato as a close second!). &amp;amp; a bonus, it becomes even more guilt-free when I wind up eating the whole thing in one sitting! ;)

drbabs · Answer

For future reference, this recipe is super easy and forgiving. https://food52.com/recipes/81808-5-minute-hummus-from-zahav-restaurant
I can’t eat raw garlic so I’ve used prepared horseradish instead. I also generally use less tahini, because that’s my preference. You can make it really lemony if you like, and it blends up perfectly in the Vitamix.

Nancy · Answer

Thanks, Emily.The plastic sounded disastrous!I'm trying different hummus recipes (so far haven't had the patience for the one that requires peeling) and machines (regular blender, hand blenders, etc).Good to know as I work on variations.

Emily · Answer

Hi Nancy--It worked out! I just added more olive oil as suggested,  &amp;amp;then lemon juice/zest for flavor, and kept on blending it &amp;amp; it softened up to a normal consistency...and tastes great! Glad it could be saved, although I don't think I'll spend the time peeling (and definitely not boiling) the chickpeas again ...I actually like a little texture in the hummus! :)

Nancy · Answer

Emily - would love to hear what you did and how it worked out.

Emily · Answer

Thank you so much, I am trying this now! Hoping it doesn’t mask the flavor too much. If so, I guess i could blend in a fresh,uncooked can?… I almost didn’t boil them since they are canned. I thought it would dry them out…but the recipe said to…&I almost never follow recipes but I was feeling so determined to make it authentic (despite the lack of dried beans).

Anyway, thank you for reading & responding, I really appreciate it! I have my fingers crossed on this one…

KLS · Answer

Put it back in the blender and start with about 1/2 cup olive oil. Keep adding oil until it loosens up, probably another 1/4 cup or so. You can also add a bit of water, but the main thing is more liquid to loosen it up.
Also, canned beans do not need boiling/cooking, just fyi

Plastic Hummus...Can it be saved?

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