Lemony Artichoke Hummus

I was thinking, as I was carefully slipping the skins off my just cooked chickpeas, that hummus is the epitome of good, healthy fast food, since a can of chickpeas, a dollop of tahini, a clove of garlic and a squeeze of lemon whizzes up in a blender in no time.  But it can also symbolize what slow food is all about if you do it like I did today, using dried beans that need to be soaked overnight, then boiled, and then, if you want to do it right, need to be separated from their skins, one by one, leaving behind the glossy beans with nothing to interfere with the silky smooth texture of a really good hummus.

Usually I'm all over variations when it comes to my favorite foods.  But there's something about hummus.  Hummus just doesn't want to be messed with.  At least not too much.   An extra shot of lemon and a can of artichoke hearts makes this one a little different, but not too different, from the classic.

This is a cheat, I used canned artichokes, but aren't the fresh ones pretty?

Lemony Artichoke Hummus
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
2 garlic cloves, smashed
juice of 3 lemons
zest of 1 lemon
salt and fresh pepper
1/3 cup water
good extra virgin olive oil for garnish

• Put the chickpeas, artichoke hearts, tahini, garlic, and the lemon juice and zest into the bowl of a food processor or a strong blender.
• Begin processing, and add the water to thin out the mixture.  Blend until very smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally.  Add the salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon onto a shallow bowl, and drizzle the olive oil over it.  Serve with pita bread.