Garbanzo silliness

[serene]

So now and then in a hummus thread, someone will say that the way to
get really smooth hummus is to peel the garbanzos.

Yeah. As if.

Anyway, today I was stressing about getting all the housework and
cooking done in time for sogwife's surprise birthday party. The
garbanzos were done cooking and I noticed that maybe thirty of the
peels had come off and were floating on top of the cooked beans.

Suddenly, in a blinding flash of enlightenment (ha!), I decided that
the way to unstress about the time/work/cooking thing would be to step
back, sit down, and take a half hour to peel garbanzos.

So I did.

It did indeed take a half hour, it was pleasant and meditative work,
and it did indeed make the smoothest hummus I've ever made. If I ever
feel like I have the time to spare, I'll probably do it again.

I'm amused that the pile of peels was almost as big as the pile of
peeled beans. See?
http://pics.livejournal.com/serenejournal/pic/00034rp9/g5

Comments

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

I think I tried that once, and then tried five or six different ways to try to de-skinify them without actually peeling them. So far, I think using a wand blender and *not* peeling them is the best. But, yeah, once they're done cooking, and cooled, they're not that hard to peel (often you can just "shoot" them out of the skin with a little squeeze) and it does make a difference in the texture.

[pyrzqxgl.livejournal.com]

When I saw your message I went and made myself some hummus on sourdough toast, yum!

Anyway, yeah, sounds like an effective way to take a bit of time to relax, though I think another good way to get smoothness would be to (if you don't do the exact same thing already) use a Vitamix or other such device that totally destroys whatever you put into it.

[kneidlach.livejournal.com]

wow - holy crap. it never occurred to me. but i just might try it! i also saw on food_porn a recommendation to roast the garlic and the garbanzos, which is also news to me (i've done roast garlic hummus, but never thought to roast the beans)

[markisafuckhead.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I'm going to share that info with the kitchen manager at the deli where I work. We make our hummus in a 5-gallon bucket, using a ginormous stick blender that we call "the leafblower"...from the top of the handle to the bottom of the blade it's probably 3 feet long! It scares me.

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

Have I told you lately that I love you?

[redandfiery.livejournal.com]

You know, I always hated broad beans (uh... USAn = fava beans, I think?). Somebody told me they were a completely different legume with the skins taken off, but my take on that was "life's too short". Then one day the Alcoholic Buddhist Carpenter gave me a couple of pounds of his organic home-grown broad beans and I felt that it would be *too* rude not to eat them - so I tried skinning them first. And, my Goddess, what a difference! I still don't *love* them, but it turns out they actually ARE edible! Who knew?

One day, I might even discover that Brussels Sprouts are fit to eat. Myself, I think pigs might fly on that one...

[ailbhe]

Chick peas are garbanzos, then. Interesting.

I should make hummous one day.

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

I'm thus far still in the, "Yeah. As if." camp, but I admire your ability to switch. :)

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

I often like to peel fava beans, or shell peas, or top and tail green beans as a meditation moment.

[krasota.livejournal.com]

I shell chickpeas/garbanzos when making hummus. Always. If I had a more powerful/vicious blender, I wouldn't worry about it, but I have a small and wimpy food processor.

It doesn't take terribly long and the husks always go in the compost.