I call the recipe above "Garlicky Chickpea Puree" - not Hummus. I'm sure if you make the puree, it will be enjoyable. Hummus is an all together different and amazing food experience which can become an obsession.
I recommend exploring the "The Hummus Blog" at http://humus101.com/EN/. This blog is written by two hummus-obsessed Israeli brothers with great descriptions and basic recipes. Their hummus recipe is at http://humus101.com/EN/2006/10/14/hummus-recipe/. This recipe includes the two essential ingredients, lemon juice and tahini, which are missing above and which makes real hummus.
Regarding tahini, I like a more subltle nutty flavor and so put in less tahini to start with than the amount mentioned in a lot of recipes. (And yes, I would buy a natural peanut butter - no added sugar, etc. if I could not obtain tahini - start with 1/2 to 2/3 the amount of tahini.)
I prefer a lighter texture hummus. My prefereed store brand is Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus (www.sabra.com). I find it easier to achieve a lighter hummus using an immersion blender in a tall narrow container. Once you chill hummus, it becomes more dense so beat it a bit more than you might expect. Use the lemon juice to thin it and than once you achieve the preferred amount of "tang", use plain water. When I use canned chickpeas, I rinse them and throw out the liquid in the can. I find the chickpeas have plenty of flavor and I like the clean flavors of a few tablespoon so good olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice and plain water.
Finally, take a look at this short video about the quest for the best hummus and see how some people make a meal out of hummus. http://humus101.com/EN/2009/04/15/the-best-hummus-video-yet/
Enjoy your homemade Hummus.
Thank you for sharing your hummus expertise! Irene @ KAF
June 29, 2010 at 1:01pm