Hummus with cumin

Drain the liquid from the can of chickpeas — it will still be useful. Rinse the chickpeas well and transfer them to a bowl (leave a few peas for garnish). Squeeze a small lemon using a juicer or just by hand. Grind the cumin into powder in a mortar and chop the garlic finely.

Pour chickpeas into a blender, add three tablespoons of olive oil, cumin, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and a couple of tablespoons of liquid from the chickpea can. Blend everything until a thick, homogeneous mass forms.

Mix the tahini sesame paste well: sometimes the paste is thinner on top than at the bottom of the jar. Add three tablespoons of tahini to the almost finished hummus and blend again. Taste: if needed, add more tahini, and if the mixture is dry, add chickpea water. Refrigerate the result for an hour, or better two: the hummus should cool and infuse.

Toast pine nuts in a heated dry skillet for about a minute. Then place the pita in the skillet and lightly toast it until crispy. Serve the hummus on a plate, add half a tablespoon of oil, and garnish with pine nuts and remaining chickpeas.

Sprinkle the hummus with a pinch of cayenne pepper and finely chopped herbs. Serve with pita, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables and herbs to dip in the hummus.