There is little wonder that hummus - the delicious, centuries-old Middle Eastern staple - has spread around the world. But if you were wondering why this happened, why not give this hummus recipe a try. While professional hummus makers tend to keep their recipes to themselves, hoping to draw customers to their restaurants (and win hummus-making contests), my friends continuously nag me me for my recipe, so despite its classified status, I have included it here for you. All I ask, is that you don't tell anyone about it! And remember, the secret is in the chickpea paste.

Try this great hummus dip!

You can, of course, use canned chickpeas. But I assure you that the resulting hummus dip won't taste nearly as good as when you make the chickpea paste yourself. (Click here for the chickpea paste recipe - it's easy).

So here goes - Dan's classified hummus recipe. And please don't tell anyone about it, OK?

Print recipe Try this authentic hummus dip recipe: INGREDIENTS: Chickpea paste from 1 pound dried chickpeas 1 cup water reserved from chickpea paste preparation or mineral water 2 cups tahini sauce, prepared from tahini paste 3-4 tablespoons olive oil, or to taste ½ cup lemon juice, or to taste Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup reserved chickpeas, for garnish ½ cup parsley, shredded (for garnish)     PREPARATION: Put the chickpea paste in a large bowl, and slowly blend in the tahini paste, olive oil and water until you achieve your desired consistency (it should have a thick, pasty texture rather than a runny one). Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper. Garnish with a drop of olive oil, paprika, reserved chickpeas and/or parsley, if desired, and serve.

Serving suggestion: Hummus is great as a dip at a meat barbecue. Try halving a pita and filling the pocket with a dollop of hummus, a piece of steak grilled to perfection and some sliced pickles. And don't forget to let me know what you think.

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