• 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas
• 8 dashes Tabasco sauce

1. Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade (or a blender) and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste for seasoning and serve chilled or at room temperature.
2. Yields 2 cups.
3. Notes:
4. There is absolutely no substitute for freshly squeezed lemon juice. Any other product will taste artificial and ruin the taste of the hummus.
5. Lemons at room temperature produce more juice than cold ones.
6. We like to serve this drizzled with olive oil and a dash or two of paprika.

This is, in my opinion, the perfect hummus recipe. It is from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten.