ROASTED BEET HUMMUS

Serves 4

Hummus can be an impressive and unpretentious starter you can put together effortlessly. I am in love with beets and when a dish calls for roasted beets, I am all in. The addition of roasted garlic, tahini and lemon make this hummus one of a kind.

2 small beets, trimmed

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

6 tbsp water, divided

1 garlic bulb

1 ½ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 tbsp tahini

3 tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F/ 190°C.

Peel away the outer skin layers around the garlic and trim ¼ inch off the top of the bulb to expose cloves.

Place beets, garlic and 2 tablespoons of water in a deep roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil over beets and garlic. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast for about 1 hour, until beets are easily pierced with a fork. Let cool to room temperature, then peel and dice beets roughly.

Purée beets in a food processor for about 1 minute. Squeeze out and add five of the roasted garlic cloves to the beets, followed by chickpeas and tahini and continue pulsing while slowly adding olive oil and lemon juice. Add the remaining water one spoon at a time to the desired consistency. Mix in cumin, coriander, salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle extra olive oil and serve with crackers, pita or veggies.