“The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious.”
― Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume
A few years ago I read an intricate and extraordinary story by Tom Robbins, whose characters turn out to be linked by a beet extract. Fascinating and mesmerizing, I loved it, but I have to admit that at the time I had no idea what a beetroot looked like!
But this all changed last year when I timidly bought my first beetroot and brought it home, under the suspicious looks of my fiancé! What a discovery!
Beetroot is so versatile, that you could easily prepare a whole dinner (from starter to dessert) with it! Infact, chocolate and beetroot cake is already on my to-do list! ;) But before we start thinking about cake, let’s go back to the recipe I am presenting you today: Beetroot Hummus.
How do you feel about it? Intrigued or uninterested? Either way, I urge you to keep reading, because trust me this hummus is delicious, original and easy to make. It’s one of those “put everything together and mix” kind of recipe! ;)
I bought fresh beetroots from The People’s Supermarket in Bloomsbury, a co-operative grocery store that aims to “connect an urban community with the local farming community”. A great store where I got these nice looking beetroots, carrots and fennel for just £3!
Ingredients
* 400g chickpeas (1 tin), drained
* 3 fresh beetroots, boiled until soft and peeled
* 3 garlic cloves, chopped
* Juice of 1 lemon
* 6tbs of olive oil
* 1tbs of cumin powder
* 1/4 cup tahini*
*According to Nigella’s recipe the tahini is optional, but I disagree! Without tahini, the hummus wouldn’t have the right texture and flavour!
Preparation
Wash the beetroots gently, trim the stalks to about 2cm above the bulb, leave the root and skin on. Boil the beetroots for about 90 minutes.
Blend all ingredients one by one with a food processor (I used my brand new Bamix, love it!). Process till smooth. Store in the fridge.
I served my beetroot hummus with carrot and fennel crudités and warm pita bread.
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I *must* try this. Love beetroot!
Loving your blog!
Awww…thank you!! :)
I was just wondering what the fennel and carrots of the picture were for, actually I thought they were going to be part of the hummus ingredients!! Now everything’s clearer! :) I’ll try the recipe myself, thanks for the nice idea!!!