Hummus is a delicious Middle Eastern spread or dip made from cooked chickpeas that is so much more delicious than store-bought when prepared at home. This recipe adds the sweetness of roasted pumpkin for extra flavour and a golden colour. Serving it on a platter with roasted vegetables, walnuts and herbs on top brings a little sunshine in on a grey, cold winter’s day and hopefully encourages an extra daily intake serve of vegetables for children and adults alike.
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
500 g butternut or Jap pumpkin, peeled & seeded
1 bunch baby carrots, green tops discarded
8 radishes, halved
olive oil
400 g cooked or tinned chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 lemon, juice of
4 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp ground cumin
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
1 bunch broccolini
1 avocado, quartered
½ cup roasted walnuts, roughly chopped
1 lime, halved
1 cup mixed fresh herbs
Method
- Preheat oven to 200 c.
- Cut the pumpkin into small chunks. Together with the carrots and radishes, scatter over a large baking tray and drizzle over a little olive oil. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until golden brown and the pumpkin is soft.
- Puree the pumpkin pieces together with the chickpeas in a food processor, adding a little warm water for a spreadable consistency. Add the garlic, lemon juice, tahini, cumin, 3 tbsp evoo, salt and pepper and puree until well combined.
- Blanch the broccolini in salted water. Run under cold water until cool and drain well.
- Spread the pumpkin hummus in a large circle a large platter. Pile the carrots, radishes, broccolini and avocado halves in the middle and then scatter over the walnuts.
- Squeeze over the juice of a lime before garnishing with fresh herbs.
- Serve with freshly cracked black pepper.
