I never know what to do with carrots. They’re not the sort of vegetable I find exciting to cook with. They always seem to take far longer to cook than the other vegetables in whatever dish I’m making, and more often than not find themselves relegated to a sofrito-style mix at the base of a sauce.
This week, I found myself with a glut of leftover carrots from my supper club with Spare Ribs, and I thought I’d do better by my humble orange friends and turn them into something delicious.
Roasting carrots gives them a mellow sweetness that works really well with the tahini in the hummus. Pair that with a lip-smacking herby green sauce and you’ve got yourself the perfect dinner party dip.
Roasted carrot hummus with coriander and chive sauce
Serves four
Roasted carrot hummus
200g carrots
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
200g chickpeas
20g tahini
1 lemon, juiced
1 garlic clove
75ml extra virgin olive oil
Coriander and chive sauce
7g fresh coriander
5g fresh chives
1/4 red onion
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees (170 fan). Chop the carrots into rough 3-4cm chunks and place on a baking tray. Drizzle over the oil and sprinkle over the cumin and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat the carrots and roast for 40-45 minutes until the carrots are soft.
While the carrots are roasting, make the sauce. Finely chop the onion, chives, coriander and garlic and add to a small bowl. Pour in the oil and vinegar and season with salt.
After 40-45 minutes, remove the carrots from the oven and let them cool slightly. Add to a food processor or blender with the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic clove and some salt. Whizz until very smooth, adding a splash of water to loosen the mixture if needed.
Spoon the hummus onto a large serving plate and top with the herby sauce. Serve with pitta bread or crudités.