Curry Hummus

1. Toast the pine nuts for about 5 minutes on medium heat, shaking the pan every 30 seconds or so. Set aside to cool.

2. Drain the chickpeas in a colander and remove as much of the skins as possible. Just squeeze a chickpea and it will pop out of the skin. You can squeeze small handfuls of them in the colander and pick through and remove the skins if that’s easier.

3. Put the chickpeas, then the pine nuts and garlic into a food processor. Drizzle with olive oil liberally. Squeeze the half of the lemon into the processor, and pour maybe 1/8 of a cup of water in. Pulse until it is the texture you want. If it is too paste-like, add more olive oil or water.

4. Salt liberally. Season with the spices depending on how flavorful you want it. (I usually coat the top completely with curry powder and add a few pinches of the other spices.) Combine.

5. Taste, and add more lemon or salt if necessary. More salt is almost always necessary!

6. This is really great in a pita pocket with some lettuce and tomato, or just plain with some chips!