Curious phrase, made from scratch. Doing a little research on this, I found that the general consensus was that the phrase originated from the line scratched on the ground as a starting point for a sports event. It was later used figuratively, meaning from nothing. This leads us to the culinary meaning that something is made from basic ingredients rather than from a packaged mix.

And this little flight of fancy is the preamble to hummus that I make from scratch. Hummus is so simple to make at home that I’m hard pressed to buy it ready made. At one point, I must have followed a recipe. Or most likely, combined ideas from a number of similar recipes. Truthfully, I usually just toss a number of appropriate ingredients in the food processor. This time, I forced myself to actually measure and write down amounts.

Ingredients for Hummus

15.5 ounce can chick peas (Garbanzos)
1/4 cup sesame tahini
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 shakes Tabasco
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup)
1/3 cup olive oil

Method

1. Drain and rinse the can of chick peas.
2. Combine the chick peas, tahini paste, salt, pepper, Tabasco, garlic and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor with the blade in place..
3. While the processor is turning, pour the olive oil in the opening at the top. Continue processing until you reach a smooth consistency.

A couple of additional thoughts:
Sesame tahini is usually found in the salad dressing section of a market. I usually buy it in a tin, but I’ve also seen it in a glass jar.
Fresh lemon juice is mandatory. I will often cut back a bit on the olive oil and use additional lemon juice instead.
California Extra Virgin Olive Oil is reasonably priced and flavorful.