Tahini and time are the makings for the best hummus

The first time I saw a recipe for Israeli-style hummus I thought it must be a mistake.

I was familiar with hummus recipes that started with canned beans and included a gratuitous amount of olive oil. When I first tried the recipe for hummus from Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi from his award-winning cookbook “Jerusalem,” I realized I’d been missing out on the good stuff.

This authentic Israeli recipe started with dried chickpeas that are soaked overnight and cooked in a mixture of water and baking soda. The baking soda softens the skin on the chickpea and makes the beans extra tender.

Next, the chickpeas are puréed with fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt and what seemed like an insane amount of tahini. I was used to adding a few tablespoons of the toasted sesame seed paste, but Ottolenghi’s version topped off at more than a cup.

A bit of the cooking liquid from the beans is added to ensure a light, silky-smooth texture.

And the olive oil? That’s reserved for drizzling over the top.

The result is nutty, toasty and garlicky hummus that’s lemony enough to balance out the richness of the ingredients. And while this version takes more time, and a few more steps than the recipe I’d been using for years, the result is over-the-top good, and well worth the effort.