Beetroot and walnut hummus

Yield: 4 servings

A revelation for people who claim not to like beetroot, or walnuts come to that – is wonderful with crisp crudites, in a sandwich with goat’s cheese, or scooped up with flatbreads: Beetroot and walnut hummus

Ingredients:

• 50 grams walnuts
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 25 grams stale bread, crusts removed
• 200 grams cooked beetroot, cut into cubes; I cooked them 40 minutes in a steamer
• 1 tablespoon tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 1 lemon, the juice
• Sea salt
• black pepper, freshly ground
• a little olive or rapeseed oil

Instructions

1. Put the walnuts on a baking tray and toast in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant. Leave to cool.
2. Warm a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and dry-fry them, shaking the pan almost constantly, until they start to darken and release their aroma – this should take less than a minute, so be careful not to burn them. Crush the seeds with a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder.
3. Break the bread into small chunks, put in a food processor or blender with the walnuts and blitz until fine. Add the beetroot, tahini, most of the garlic, a good pinch of the cumin, half the lemon juice, a little salt and a good grind of pepper, then blend to a thick paste.
4. Taste the mixture and adjust it by adding a little more cumin, garlic, lemon, salt and/or pepper, blending again until you are happy with it. Loosen with a dash of oil if you think the Beetroot and walnut hummus needs it. Refrigerate until required but bring back to room temperature to serve.

total time: 1 hour + cooling time
preparation time: 5 minutes
cooking/baking time: 40 minutes for the beets