The black chickpea/garbanzo is a thing of beauty! It makes for a wonderful visual delight in this classic hummus with tahini. A rich, creamy and nutty dip that's literally crying out for a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil and a deep scoop by a crunchy flatbread chip.
Drain the soaking liquid and then place the chickpeas in a large pan with 2 litres of water.
Add the 2 onion halves, celery and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 3-4 hours, until the chickpeas are cooked. You can also cook them in a pressure cooker/instant pot for 45mins-1 hour until cooked.
Drain and cool the chickpeas retaining a cup of the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaf and vegetables.
Retain 1/4 cup of cooked chickpeas for garnish, then In a food processor, or with a stick blender - blend together the chickpeas along with the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Add little of the cooking liquid to loosen the mix slightly. Adjust seasoning if you need.
Arrange the hummus in a serving bowl, then make a well in the centre and scatter in the whole chickpeas. Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil and scatter over some fresh chopped parsley if you like.
Serve alongside other Middle Eastern dishes as part of a larger feast. It works especially well with my delicious Lamb Kofta Kebabs.