Veggie Magazine March_2019

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Harissa Hummus with a Lemony Roasted

Courgette & Toasted Hazelnut Topping

1 x 400g tin chickpeas

1 garlic clove, minced

juice ½ lemon

1 tbsp tahini

60ml extra virgin olive oil

1 roasted red pepper

1 heaped tsp harissa paste

salt and pepper

For the courgettes:

1 large courgette

1 garlic clove

zest of ½ lemon

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

To serve:

30g toasted hazelnuts,

roughly chopped

finely chopped parsley

dash of sumac

extra virgin olive oil

crackers or pitta

1 Preheat your oven to

220C/425F/Gas 7. Dice the

courgette, transfer to an oven

dish and toss in a little olive oil,

crushed garlic and lemon zest

before lightly seasoning with

salt and pepper. Roast for 20

minutes, until cooked and

just beginning to colour.

2 Drain and rinse the chickpeas

and place them in a clean

tea towel. Rub vigorously to

remove the skins and place

in a small food processor.

3 Roughly blitz the chickpeas

before adding the remaining

ingredients. Season well and

blend until completely smooth.

4 Swirl the hummus on a

shallow dish and top with the

roasted courgettes, toasted

hazelnuts, sumac, parsley

and a drizzle of olive oil.

B

efore I moved to Cornwall, I’m ashamed to say my cooking

was not terribly influenced by the seasons. When you

mostly shop at major supermarkets, it can be so easy to

become out of sync with what should be available rather than

what is – which, let’s face it, is basically everything all year round.

Because I now shop at greengrocers and farm shops, I’ve

become much less of a planner when it comes to mealtimes. From

a recipe perspective it's way more exciting, because I tend to let the

local ingredients at my disposal guide the story, as it were, but

that’s not to say I don’t lean on a few faves, including the humble

courgette. Strangely, even though they are technically at their best

from June to October, this lovely little squash screams spring, in

my opinion – particularly when paired with lemon and bolstered

with a robust harissa hummus that simply demands to be scooped.

The trick to a really smooth, unctuous hummus is to remove

the skins. Don’t shoot the messenger! You could peel the

chickpeas by hand (not as tedious as it sounds) but the best hack

I’ve come across is to rub them vigorously in a clean tea towel.

Once you’ve sampled skin-free, impossibly smooth hummus,

I promise you won’t go back – talk about a game changer.

And, if you’ve never tried topping your hummus with roasted

veg, you really are missing a trick. Because the courgettes are

meltingly soft, you’ll want to inject some texture in the form of

toasted hazelnuts. Hummus might be pretty basic in essence,

but it’s still possible to transform it into a simple, yet impressive

dish. I often enjoy this combo as a light lunch, either with my

favourite Rakusens Matso crackers or some freshly-made pitta

• heaven on a plate!

“Hummus might be pretty basic

in essence, but it’s still possible

to transform it into a simple, yet

impressive dish...”

Áine Carlin

Green Living

Follow Áine on Instagram @ainecarlin