Salad dressings & dips
Carrot & Harissa Hummus
A simple way to turn an everyday veg into a delectable dip. Based on a classic hummus with a slick of punchy harissa to enliven things. The carrots add earthy sweetness as well as their colour and texture.
Cook's notes
If you have some tops on your carrots, you can use those too. A swift and thrifty pesto-like sauce is a great addition and gives it a vibrant lift for very little extra effort. You can use any green herbs in their place such as parsley, mint, chervil, basil, or a mixture.
Ingredients
main
- 500g carrots, ideally with their tops attached
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp of harissa
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 700g jar of cooked chickpeas, (we use bold beans)
- 3 tbsp tahini
- olive oil
- salt
For the green carrot top garnish:
- small handful of carrot top leaves
- small handful of parsley leaves
- 20g toasted flaked almonds
- olive oil
- salt
Method
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Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/Gas 6. Peel and chop the carrots into angled 4cm pieces. Lightly crush 4 garlic cloves in their skins. Pop the carrots and garlic in a roasting tray with the juice from half the lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil, the harissa and all the spices. Season generously and mix well. Roast for 25-30 mins, turning at the halfway point, until completely tender.
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Step 2
Meanwhile, if you want to make the green garnish, put the carrot tops and parsley into a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt and smash it into a paste. Add the almonds and smash them in too, before adding enough olive oil to give you a pesto-like consistency. Season with salt to taste.
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Step 3
When the carrots are ready, pick out the garlic skins, leaving the sweet soft flesh in the tray. Pop the carrots and garlic into a food processor along with the ¾ of the chickpeas (plus the cooking liquid from the jar), the tahini and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season lightly with salt and blend until smooth. You might want to add a dash of boiling water until you get your preferred consistency.
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Step 4
Taste and tweak the flavour with more salt and lemon juice to your liking – be bold and trust your tastebuds!
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Step 5
Throw the remaining chickpeas into the used roasting tray and mix them around so that they pick up the last of the spices and oil.
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Step 6
To serve, spoon the hummus into a shallow bowl and garnish with the chickpeas and swirls of the green carrot-top garnish, if using.