Hummus is soul food. In its perfect form, it has therapeutic power over mind, body, and spirit. If you let it, it will quiet all noise and offer momentary escape from life’s gravity.
My deep dive into educational mode means I study cookbooks and try recipes. I bow to Zahav for a deceptively simple recipe for today’s National Hummus Day.
There are only five ingredients: chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt.
I experimented and it was truly an education. Having diverged from the optimal cast of characters, I’ve learned the lessons and appreciate the rationale behind the biblical commandments.
Thou shalt use Soom tahini, say the authors. Yes. Always and forever. Forsake all substitutes. Begin with dried chickpeas, soak and cook as instructed. I used canned chickpeas once. Only once. I feel like I should apologize to the Soom for subjecting it to such an unworthy partner. It won’t happen again.
The Zahav restaurant owners and book authors, Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook, are on a winning streak. In 2016, the Zahav book won James Beard Foundation awards for book of the year and best international book. Solomonov won the James Beard award for outstanding chef in 2017.
Earlier this month, Zahav pastry chef Camille Cogswell won the James Beard award for rising star chef of 2018.
Mentor and star mentee.
Mentorship is one of the few things potentially more powerful than Zahav hummus.
In between the James Beard awards, Solomonov, Cook, and partners released the eponymous Federal Donuts book. It was my duty and pleasure to report on the D.C. book tour visit last December.
With a savory detour to hummus, I’ve now returned to the dessert path. I’m duty bound to try Cogswell’s handiwork one day soon. It looks positively soulful.
Andrea Adleman | Cupcakologist 