Israeli Hummus Masabacha

(adapted from Food&Wine, May 2008)
This is the recipe I started with a couple years ago. I never follow it anymore, as some version of it is now deeply ingrained in my psyche (we are huge hummus eaters here!). The most significant change I've made is that I do NOT use my food processor. The agitation of the blades will ruin the flavor of your olive oil. There is a remarkable difference in quality between machine processed and hand processed hummus. I use a potato masher or my pastry cutter now, and love the result! Plus, hand processed hummus is a bit on the chunky side, which I really enjoy. If you need smooth creamy hummus, try processing your beans first, then stir all the other ingredients in by hand.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound dried chickpeas
1 tablespoon baking soda
7 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup tahini, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Salt
Paprika, for garnish
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Pita bread, for serving

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, cover the dried chickpeas with 2 inches of water and stir in the baking soda. Refrigerate the chickpeas overnight. Drain the chickpeas and rinse them under cold water.

In a medium saucepan, cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of fresh water. Add the garlic cloves and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat until the chickpeas are tender, about 40 minutes. Drain, reserving 10 tablespoons of the cooking water and 2 tablespoons of the chickpeas. Rinse the chickpeas under cold water. Peel the garlic cloves.
In a food processor, puree the chickpeas with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 6 of the garlic cloves. Add the cumin along with 1/4 cup each of the tahini and lemon juice and process until creamy.

Season the hummus with salt and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with cumin, paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil.