This is a pretty appetizer that makes any meal feel more festive. I like to serve this before making a meal that has Mediterranean or Middle Eastern flavors. I also like that it can be made in advance and pulled out just before serving. Cold, creamy, sweet and salty with the tang of fresh lemon juice, I can eat this before dinner for many days in a row. Or, maybe you want to eat it for dinner by itself?
Ingredients
Beet Hummus
1 roasted beet peeled and chopped
1 can chickpeas drained
2/3 cup tahini
2-3 zest & juice lemons about 1/3 cup of lemon juice
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin or more to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 handful of chopped herbs
Topping options
1 handful of chopped parsley, za’atar, thinly sliced radishes, pine nuts, some more lemon zest, gomasio, bee pollen, big salt flakes, olive oil, or anything else your heart desires for sprinkling on top (optional)
Make the hummus:
Combine the chickpeas, tahini, beet, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, adding more olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin or salt as needed. I like to make mine extra garlicky and lemony so I add the juice of another lemon and three more garlic cloves.
Serve in a bowl and sprinkle parsley, za’atar, sliced radishes, lemon zest, toasted chopped nuts, big salt flakes or anything else that sounds good. I love to swirl olive oil on the top as a final touch before serving to guests.
Notes:
If you have a food processor, now is the time to use it! If you don’t, a blender or hand blender works too.
Use the best possible tahini you can find.
Leftover hummus will keep in the fridge for a week.
*Note: to roast a beet, wash and drizzle with olive oil and salt, wrap in tin foil and place in a 400 degree oven, for about an hour (until a fork easily slides in it). Wait for it to cool then peel the skin off, which should peel off easily if it’s fully cooked through (if it doesn’t that’s a sign that you need to put in in the oven a bit longer)
