Roasted Beet Hummus

Once again my dying digitial camera disappoints with the color. It is a really cool color that just isn't true to this photo :(

This recipe is perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Or Christmas.

Or any weekday ending in “Y”.

This isn’t tradition hummus, obviously, but you will still know it is hummus. The beets add a sweetness that is really interesting yet not too beet-y. Sue and I chose to leave out the tahini paste that hummus often calls for but you can certainly add it in if you prefer. It will definitely affect the taste.

(The original recipe over at the Beantown Baker called for ½ cup of tahini or sesame paste.)

Roasted Beet Hummus

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Ingredients

1-2 medium beets

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped finely

2 cloves chopped garlic

2 tsp cumin

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

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 Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Wash beets and place them on a large square of tinfoil. Gently tent tinfoil over beets and pinch to form a tight seal. Place on rack in oven and cook in oven for 40 – 70 minutes, until smooth when poked with a fork. (If you are worried about leakage then place on a cookie sheet before placing in oven.)

Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then peel and cut into small chunks.

In a small frying pan, heat the tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and the 2 cloves of chopped garlic and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes.

Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl.

In a food processor, chop the beets, onions & garlic, and chickpeas together until smooth. Add the cumin, and process again. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then replace the lid. While the blades are running, slowly add the lemon juice and olive oil mixture until the hummus is at your desired consistency. Stir in the remaining 2 cloves of minced garlic.

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Ooooh....pretty puree!

This is fantastic served with soft-yet-chewy multigrain baguettes, or pitas, or even fresh veggies. As we made it for Valentine’s Day (Um…yeah...it’s PINK), Sue and I made heart shaped chips by simply using a heart shaped cookie cutter on red tortillas then toasting in the oven for a minute or two to crisp up.

We got mixed reviews when we served this. The kids thought it was a little weird – they liked the aftertaste but not-so-much the first taste. The ladies at work thought it was delicious – they appreciated the difference the beets made plus how garlic-y it was.

Sue and I agreed that, while it was quite tasty, it definitely wasn’t something we would make a lot. Regular hummus is still our favorite but that might just be it is because it is what we are used to. We definitely will make this for times requiring something pink – it doesn’t get much more pink than this – and for times requiring something a little unusual.

This is definitely a dish that will get people talking.