Ingredient Whiz.

The saying goes, "behind every man is a great woman", but when it comes to the kitchen, I'd have to argue that it's the other way around. John, my husband, has stood by me through some major disasters. He tastes them dutifully, whether they are a flashy hit or a sore, sore miss. And believe me when I say, there have been some duds. An over-salted "chicken soup" began as a loving attempt to make him feel better, but was so horrific it was later suspected of being the cause of his almost ruptured spleen.

Still, he stands by my cooking, at times to his own tastebud demise. (I would be lying if I said that wasn't one of his more endearing qualities.) Therefore, it is only right that I should stand by his.

He could be on the Food Network. When I cook, it's a hurricane of ingredients whizzing around, splattering into an uproar. On average, my presentation score is a big, sloppy "F." John, however, is detailed, meticulous, neat and, well, sexy. He rolls his sleeves back, just below the elbow, scrubs his hands like a doctor preparing for surgery, lays out his tools, while I, the loyal scrub nurse, stand back and watch in awe. He scrutinizes measurements, scraping the edge of every teaspoon to it's exact amount and focuses with the attention of a pro. The results are always as they should be: never too sweet, nor salty, never over seasoned, never the wrong texture. He does it just right.

There are few things in this world he loves more than hummus. He could survive on hummus alone, granted there's a chunk of bread or two to dip it with. Ever since hummus floated over to the west-side of the globe, he's been devoted. At first, this was all fine and good. I'd hop over to Kroger and grab him some packaged Sabra's. (Though I could never buy enough...) Then, as we got picky about packaged food and that awful grocery store, it seemed our dedication for hummus would have to be switched to the tune of: "absence makes the heart grow fonder."

But not so fast. Garbanzo beans were hanging out in the back corner of the Daily Co-op. We stocked up, a little unnerved at their rawness and a little wary of their cooking time (soak overnight, scrub, boil for 1-2 hours (?)), but we bought them. They sat in our cupboard until he couldn't ignore them anymore. He looked up the process and began rolling up his sleeves.

Hummus is John's masterpiece, his Mona Lisa. I mean, he picks off every. single. seed. cover. before he purees the chickpeas. He invented a way to make it extra creamy, just the way he likes it (whole milk). He even spoons it into a bowl, drizzles olive oil over the finished product and adds sprinkles of paprika to make it beam. When it comes to hummus, he puts me, the art of presentation, and Sabra's to shame. And his recipe quadruples the size of store-bought hummus at 1/4 the price.

This is a bit of a demanding recipe. The raw beans take time. Picking off every seed cover is quite tedious. The best alternative would be canned garbanzo beans, but in order to use them they must be rinsed several times to make sure all the canned syrup is out of the picture. Also, it is not necessary to shuck the chickpeas, though it is beneficial for a less bitter taste and a creamier texture. Try, if you have time, to peel as many as you can.

Also, when you boil the beans, don't be a fool like me (we had a bad experience, my fault) and make sure to keep adding water to the pot whether the lid is covering it or not. Best to start out with lots of water, because it evaporates quickly and can lead to burnt beans and a stinky house.

If you're already a hummus-from-scratch expert, you know you can expound on this recipe and add anything from kalamata olives to chili peppers. If not, this is a very good place to start.

John's Hummus Recipe

(Sorry for the unsightly finger dip impressions... no fancy presentation here, we dug in as soon as it was blended.)

1 cup garbanzo beans
tahini
3 tbsp. whole milk
3 tbsp. tahini
2-3 small cloves garlic, diced or crushed (fresh garlic is preferable)
juice of 1 lemon
cumin, to taste
sea salt, to taste
3 tbsp olive oil (or more as needed)
paprika for garnish (optional)
dash of baking soda

Unfortunately for those trying to replicate, there is no exact science to perfect hummus. Please, please taste after you add each ingredient. It's important to get it the way you like it.

In a large bowl, add beans and soak with cold water overnight on your kitchen counter. After soaked, you should see little puffs of foam arise on the surface. Pick through and discard any browning beans and rinse.

Fill a large pot with water and add beans. Make sure beans are completely covered, add baking soda and bring to a boil. Boil on medium high heat for 1-2 hours, making sure to re-add water as needed. Scrape foam from water surface and discard. When beans are tender (easily crushed between your fingers) drain and soak again in cold water for 15 minutes.

Shuck beans, discarding the shell. Or, continually stir beans, siphon shells and discard.

In a large food processor, add beans, pulsing until thick. Add garlic, tahini, olive oil, salt and lemon juice, continue to mix. Add whole milk, one tbsp. at a time. Taste and add more of each as needed.

*Hint - add liquid ingredients while the machine is running to get desired creamy texture.