A friend gifted us five pounds of dry garbanzos for our pantry stores last year. I'd been seeing some posts about "Hummus-in-a-Jar" and knew that it needed to be my next experiment!
I went about developing a recipe the same way I usually do: read a bunch of other recipes and then start taking averages, and pick and choose the best parts from all of them.
And it turned out better than I could have imagined. I don't always like homemade hummus.... I mean, Trader Joe is so good at it, why should I take that joy away from him? But this was really amazing in every way, and if I always have a jar of this in the pantry, I won't have to make as many trips to Trader Joe's, right?
I'm setting up this recipe for you so that you can fit it to how many pint jars your pressure canner will hold, or how much of an ingredient you have on hand (be forewarned this uses a LOT of sesame seeds). Measurements are given PER PINT JAR. Scale it up as necessary, and double-check your math!
On to the recipe!
1/4 cup sesame seeds
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
dash of paprika
Remember that these measurements are PER PINT JAR. First rinse and pick over the garbanzos, then add them to a heavy pot and cover them with 1-2" of water. Bring them to a boil, then lid them and remove from the heat to let them sit while you work on the other ingredients.
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat until they get a little toasty and fragrant. Watch them carefully because they can burn in the blink of an eye! If you're making a big batch, you can toast them in the oven instead of on the stove. When they are toasted just right, add a 1/4 cup to each jar.
Peel your garlic cloves and smash them a bit to release all that flavor. Add 3 cloves to each jar.
Add lemon juice, salt, cumin, and paprika to each jar. Those jars are going to smell so delicious!
Divide up the parboiled garbanzos between all of the jars. Because they've expanded and started to soften in the water, there will be more than a 1/2 cup per jar. But do your best to make sure there is an equal amount in each jar.
Top off each jar with the water you just boiled the garbanzos in, up to 1" from the rim (1" headspace).
Wipe the rims of the jars with vinegar. Place warmed lids, place rings finger-tight, and fill your canner and process your jars per the manufacturer's instructions for 75 minutes.
Let cool for 12-24 hours, then check seals.
And here's where it gets fun!
When you are ready for some hummus, strain the contents of the jar through a fine-mesh sieve, draining the liquid into a small bowl.
Add the garbanzo mixture to a blender or food processor. You'll want to add a little of the jar liquid (also known as aquafaba) to thin it out and make it smooth. A little olive oil would be good, too. Keep blending until it has the texture you desire. My favorite proportions are usually 4-5 tsp of the jar liquid and 1-3 tsp of olive oil per jar.
You can also add in more ingredients at this point to take your hummus flavors in different directions. Some ideas for tasty add-ins:
Roasted Red Peppers
Cilantro (or other herbs)
Kalamata Olives (or other olive varieties)
Preserved Lemon
Marinated Artichoke Hearts
Sun-dried Tomatoes
Pinenuts
Also, feel free to mix in more tahini (sesame paste) or garlic if the amounts in the jar aren't as prominent as you'd prefer.
Serve this with crackers or veggies, or use it as a sandwich spread, or in any other dish you can think of! Enjoy!
