Best Hummus Ever

For the beans:

Drain the soaked beans, and put them in a large pot with enough water to cover them by 1 1/2 inches (4 cm). Add salt, and olive oil. Place the carrot, celery, chile, garlic and onion in a piece of cheese cloth and tie it into a bundle with kitchen twine. Add it to the pot and bring the pot to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours, or until the beans are very tender and creamy (it can take from 1 to 4 hours, depending on how old the beans are). If the beans start to look dry, add more water. You never want the beans to be covered by more than 1 1/2 inch of water.

When the beans are creamy, turn off the heat and allow the beans to cool in the cooking liquid. Remove and discard the cheese cloth bundle. The beans can be prepared up to this point up to 1 week in advance and stored in the cooking liquid in the fridge.

The beans can also be frozen in the cooking liquid. I like to do it in 2-cup portions (the same as a can of beans).

For the hummus:

Place the garbanzo beans, 1/4 cup cooking liquid, garlic, and tahini in the work bowl of a food processor. Blend until the garlic and the beans form a nearly smooth paste. Add the lemon juice, black pepper, cayeene, cumin and sumac. Pulse to combine. Chances are your hummus is looking pretty thick right now. And is lacking in the salt department. WIth your food processor running, add the remaining cooking liquid 1 tablespoon at a time, until the hummus reaches your desired consistency.

To serve, garnish as desired, but I highly recommend a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkle of sumac.

Note: other garnish options are sea salt, parsley, pine nuts, feta cheese, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes—you get the idea.