Hummus is always a delectable nibble to have at the ready and this beetroot one is simply delicious, and the colour is divine!
Inspired by one we ate – and keep eating! – at Lorraine’s Magic Hill restaurant on the isle of Kefalonia in Greece.
Ingredients:
3 medium-size cooked beetroots, about 300g
300g cooked chickpeas.
(NB. I soak the dried chickpeas overnight, change the water twice, then throw it out and cook the chickpeas in fresh water. Sounds a pfaff, but it’s a good habit in case your guests have issues digesting pulses, those problematic oligosaccharides)
1 generously heaped tbsp tahini
juice from 1 lemon (or half, if it’s a super juicy Mediterranean one)
1 large clove of garlic (or more if you’re game)
80ml virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
optional chilli flakes – go easy
small amount of water to thin the mixture as you blend
Method
Basically everything is blended together – can’t get much easier. I start with the beetroot, then add 99% of the chickpeas (rest is decoration), together with some oil and the tahini and spices/herbs. If the mixture is getting too stodgy, aka like concrete, carefully add a little water to the mix until it’s just right for you.
A lot of humus recipes rely on the oil for the smooth consistency however I find using more oil instead of a little water makes it far too heavy and rich.
Top with a few cooked chickpeas or any herbs of your choice. Kali orexi!