Double-Tahini Hummus

1. Place chickpeas in a medium saucepan and cover with 2 inches of water; stir in baking soda. Soak overnight. (Alternatively, to quick-soak: Bring the chickpea mixture in the saucepan to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour.)

2. Drain the chickpeas and rinse well. Rinse out the pan. Return the chickpeas to the pan and cover with 2 inches fresh water. Add garlic. Bring to a boil. Keep at a rolling boil until the chickpeas are tender and almost falling apart, 25 to 40 minutes.

3. Reserve about 3/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the chickpeas. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the prettiest chickpeas for garnish. Rinse the remaining chickpeas and garlic and set the colander over a bowl. Refrigerate the chickpea mixture, reserved cooking water and pretty chickpeas separately overnight.

4. The next day, combine the chickpeas, 6 of the garlic cloves and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water in a food processor (or blender) with 1/4 cup each oil, tahini and 1/4 cup lemon juice, salt and cumin. Process until creamy. Transfer to a serving bowl. Puree the remaining 1/4 cup each oil and tahini with the remaining garlic clove, 2 table-spoons of the cooking water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice until smooth.

5. Make an indention in the center of the hummus and spoon in the tahini-lemon mixture. Sprinkle the hummus with cumin and paprika, if desired. Garnish with the reserved whole chickpeas and parsley.

Tips

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate hummus (without garnishes) for up to 5 days. Garnish just before serving.

Tahini is a thick paste of ground sesame seeds. Look for it in large supermarkets in the Middle Eastern section or near other nut butters. Sadaf is one of our favorite brands--it's nutty, creamy and never bitter.