The variation of herbs in the hummus is flexible—I like mostly mint, but I always add some basil to bring up the green color more, and it tastes great. But the skinless chickpeas are not flexible! Buy your chickpeas already skinned in my shop, or add 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda to drained canned chickpeas and heat them in a saute pan. Then immerse the chickpeas in a huge bowl of warm water and rub them til the skins fall off, draining and rubbing several times until every skin is gone. This recipe expands with ease. Finish the hummus with excellent olive oil.
In the food processor, blitz the chickpeas, garlic, salt, mint and basil until extremely well pulverized, a good 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl a few times.
Add the tahini and process until well blended, then add the lemon juice and process again. Taste the hummus; add water if the hummus is too thick, and add more salt if needed.
Spoon the hummus onto one or two small plates. Use the back of a clean spoon to create a well in the center of the hummus. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pine nuts and dried mint.