Beetroot hummus

Beetroot can be grated and eaten raw in salads, boiled in water, or roasted in the oven. Choose small beetroot if you are boiling or roasting them as this will reduce their cooking time.

If you cut beetroot, it will ‘bleed’ a vibrant crimson juice which will stain other foods. So be careful not to mix it with other ingredients until you are ready. This is a lovely, colourful recipe which can be served as a starter with warm pitta bread.

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients

300g beetroot (5 small beetroot)

1 tbsp olive oil 100g

canned chickpeas, drained

1 -2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely

100g tahini

juice of one lemon

25ml Oat Drink

salt and pepper to taste

To serve

50g feta, crumbled (optional)

1 salad onion, cut into fine rings

a few springs chopped dill

1 tsp za'atar (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C. Scrub the beetroot and cut into wedges. Place the beetroot wedges in an ovenproof roasting dish and drizzle with the olive oil. Cover the roasting dish with a lid or foil and roast for about 30 minutes [1] or until a knife blade can be inserted easily into the flesh. Allow the beetroot to cool.

Place the beetroot, chickpeas, garlic, and tahini into the bowl of a food processor. Process for a few seconds adding the OatDrink through the spout of the processor. Gradually add half of the lemon juice. Stop the food processor, season the mixture and taste the hummus, adding more lemon juice and seasoning if required.

Serve the beetroot hummus in a bowl and top with crumbled feta, some salad onions rings, chopped dill and za'atar.

[1] Alternatively, you can boil small, whole beetroots in a pan of boiling water. Do not cut the beetroots if using this method as they will ‘bleed’ their juice into the water.