Makes about 6 cups.
Hummus is a combination of cooked, blended chickpeas and tahini. Tahini is a paste form of roasted sesame seeds (similar to a runny peanut butter).
This recipe is basically a tahini and hummus recipe all-in-one.
Many people buy tahini instead of making it because it is hard to make smooth tahini at home. I figured out a way around this problem when I make hummus. When you make hummus, you add oil and other ingredients to tahini. I moved this additional oil into the tahini making process which made it much easier to blend.
I also use two appliances to make hummus. I start the sesame seeds and olive oil in the blender and then move them to the food processor once they are ground smooth. The blender is better for small quantities and the food processor is better for large.
Toasting the Seeds 
Seed Dough 
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup hulled sesame seeds.
- 6 tablespoons olive oil (canola in a pinch)
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas or 3 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (2 large lemons) (I have used bottled lemon juice and it works fine)
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced (or equivalent) (in addition to the roasted garlic, below).
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons water
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (optional). (Better if you can get cousin Tracy to send you some dried, smoked, habanero / jalapeno pepper dust).
- 6 – 12 cloves of roasted garlic.
- 2 or 3 large red bell peppers.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Toast the sesame seeds in a large fry pan over medium heat, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. When you can smell the roasted seeds and they become light brown, pour them out onto a baking sheet to cool.
- When the seeds are completely cooled, process them in a blender for 60 seconds until they come together in a course dough.
- Add the oil and process for about 3 minutes on blend setting.
- When the Tahini is smooth, it is done.
- Move the mixture to a food processor.
- Add lemon juice and process for 1.5 minutes, stopping to scrape down, as needed.
- Add garlic, cumin and salt.
- Process for 1 more minute, stopping to scrape down, as needed.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
- Add the chickpeas and process until fairly smooth.
- Add water and process until the hummus achieves a smooth consistency.
- You can store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Adding Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic:
- Quarter red peppers and remove the seeds, stems and white membranes.
- Place on a greased baking sheet, skin side up.
- Broil on low on the top rack of the oven until the skin starts to blacken and blister (5 – 7 minutes).
- Remove from the oven and tent with aluminium foil so the peppers cool slowly.
- When the peppers are cool enough to touch, the skin should peel off.
- Peel off the skin and discard it.
- Add the chipotle pepper and garlic to the hummus in the food processor and blend.
