Here’s a simple and great recipe, thanks to the France Inter radio show “On va déguster” and Alan Geaam, the Lebanese Chef of restaurant Qasti in Paris (in French). In a few simple steps you prepare a batch of basic hummus that you can accommodate in many ways, and also creatively integrate in many dishes.

A silky smooth home-made hummus in four steps

1. Put a pack of dry chickpeas (e.g. 400 grams) into a pan filled with water to soak for at least 8 hours. Add baking soda and/or sea salt. I usually leave to that in the evening and leave them the night.
   
2. Rinse the chickpeas and fill the pan with fresh water, then leave them to simmer for two to three hours (as you can see, the peas have swollen a lot, the weight is now doubled).
   
3. Get your mixer, about 100 grams of tahini, squeeze a fresh – preferably organic – lemon, (organic) olive oil, salt and pepper. Don’t forget the secret ingredient: ice cubes!
   
   Depending on your quantity of chickpeas and taste, experiment with the quantity of each ingredient. I prefer more ice cubes and less olive oil to make the mix silky smooth.
4. Pour the warm chickpeas on top of the ice cubes, add the rest of the ingredients and blitz the whole thing. Taste to add pepper, salt. That’s it!
   

Be creative and follow your inspiration and taste. If you feel like it add fresh garlic cloves, basil leaves, red pepper, add spices like cumin, paprika, curry. Spice it up by mixing harissa or – in my case here – sambal through the hummus.

How to use hummus? As a dip with vegetables or crackers. Replace butter with hummus on bread and add toppings like spinach leaves. Mix it with (flaxseed) oil and use it as the base for a salad sauce.

Chickpeas and hummus are great nutrients. And it’s cheap! It’s full of plant-based protein, it helps fight inflammation and feeds your guts with good bacteria.

Don’t take my word for it. Here are a few sources to read if you want more information about the benefits of hummus:
10 Reasons Why We Should All Be Eating More Hummus
12 Surprising Health Benefits Of Hummus That Make It Even More Irreplaceable
Is hummus healthy – and can it help with weight loss?

Enjoy! Tips, tricks, comments? Let them flow!

My background may help you understand the name of this site and place my personal transformation into perspective. I was born and raised in France 50+ years ago. Both my parents were poor during their childhood. Through hard work they rose to a comfortable middle class status and with affluence camegood food and wine on our table. By “good” I mean tasty food. In France food plays a pivotal role in family gatherings and in our traditional cuisine meat and animal produce are commonplace. From pre-dinner finger food (e.g. “charcuterie”), entrees (e.g. filled eggs, pâté, broth) through to main courses (e.g. coq au fin, cassoulet, quiche Lorraine, steak frites). Veggies are traditionally more side dishes than centerpiece.

Having now lived three decades in the Netherlands and having espoused the Dutch way of life, I am more detached from those French traditions. And I definitely have an open mind for other kinds of cuisines. As long as food tastes good I love eating! Nevertheless, call it my “madeleine de Proust” some of my best memories are associated to beautiful combinations like shallots in vinegar accompanying a fresh salad, or the smell of garlic warming up in a pan.

Summing up, in this blog “French Food” stands for enjoying life by enjoying what you eat.