Hummous

Soak beans for 12 hours. Drain. Rub beans with bicarbonate of soda for 3-4 hours or even overnight. Wash very well. Get rid of all traces of bicarbonate and loose skins. Put in a pan with lots of water and bring to the boil. Keep scooping off all the ghastly froth. Lower the heat and half cover the pan until the beans are mushy. Drain but keep some of the cooking water. Simplified version if you don't remember to soak the chickpeas: use a jar or tin of best quality chickpeas, and a similar size jar of light tahini. Method: Crush the garlic and cream it with the salt in a mixing bowl, add the chickpeas with some water (reserve some in case it’s too much). Make sure the tahini is well mixed together, as the oil tends to separate, and add it to the bowl. Blend/liquidise it a bit, then add lemon and cumin. Some olive oil can also be added, to give it a superior taste and consistency. Mix a bit more, adding more liquid if necessary, and taste. Adjust the seasoning and complete the blending, making sure all lumps are gone. To serve: Spread on a plate and fork ridges into the surface in a pattern, sprinkle it with some sweet paprika, drizzle a bit of olive oil around, and if you like decorate with olives.