Isn’t this just the prettiest hummus you’ve ever seen :):)
Hummus has always been a popular dish in my family, I grew up with it. Everyone made it a little differently, one aunt’s hummus was never the same as the other one’s. And my mom’s was quite special too. The reason for all these different tasting hummus was that no one followed a recipe. They trusted their eye and taste buds, some liked it more tangy while some preferred to add plenty garlic. And I do my hummus the same way, without a recipe, it must be a family thing :):)
Hummus has to be one of the most well known, most popular dips/mezes ever. We’ve seen it made in so many different ways and colours with the addition of various vegetables. Apart from the classic hummus, my favourite has got to be the one made with roasted beets. You know I love my beets, for it’s taste and beautiful deep colour. I’ve been thinking of writing a post about the beet hummus but I had one problem. I didn’t have a written recipe as I never used one when making hummus. How can you say to someone who’s never made hummus before, let alone beet hummus, to work it out or use their judgement :):) So for the first time in my life I made a note of exact amounts of each and every ingredient that I used. You can take this as a starting point and create the perfect hummus that suits your taste. I personally like to use little garlic, plenty lemon and just enough tahini to give it a smooth nutty taste. You can also add ground cumin which is a staple spice in hummus.
I know that not everyone is so keen on the sweet and earthy flavour of beets. But if you are one who never says never, I’d love it if you tried this recipe. I mean look at the colour, reason enough to give it a try don’t you think :))
First I want to tell you very shortly how I cook my beets. I have talked about this before and will always insist that you should roast your beets in the oven. When you boil them they lose their deep colour as well as the vitamins. In this case steaming would be a better option but the results of steamed beets could never be compared with the roasted ones. Let me give you an example with my favourite beet pasta. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know how much I love colouring my fresh pasta with beets. The question I get the most is whether I use food colouring or not. You might be guessing what my answer is but I’ll say it again, NO, no artificial food colouring.
It takes quite a while to cook the beets in the oven, like 45-60 mins depending on their sizes. As a person against all sorts of waste, I wouldn’t ask you to fire up your oven just for a few beets. You could do like me and stick them in the corner while you’ve got something else baking, like a cake or your dinner. It’s only a little parcel as we wrap the beets tightly, so they won’t interfere with the cooking time of the other dish.
First thing you need to do is wash the beets really well under running water, using a vegetable brush (I usually cook a minimum of four beets each time). Shake of the excess water and place on a piece of baking parchment. Drizzle with a Tbs of olive oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper, wrap tightly. Then place this parcel on top of a large piece of aluminium foil, wrap that tightly too. Cook until soft, you can start checking after the first 40 mins using a tooth pick.
- 1 medium cooked beetroot (150 gr)
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (skins removed)
- ½ a lemon (large and juicy)
- 3 Tbs tahini
- 2 Tbs evoo
- 1 clove of garlic (minced)
- salt and pepper
- 2-3 Tbs warm water
- Roughly chop the beet and place in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients.
- Blend until you have a smooth paste.
- If too thick, loosen with another Tbs or two of warm water.
- Adjust seasoning and place in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
- Serve as is or sprinkled with toasted pine nuts and a little olive oil.
Don't skip the part where you skin the chickpeas, it makes the difference.
[…] a mission to make some pretty and colourful food for my valentine this year. Prepared my favourite Beet Hummus and beet stained Deviled Eggs (the recipe of which will follow) as appetisers to our […]