Chefs Joey & Katy show us how to make colourful and rich carroty, beetrooty combination on toast.
Pre-cooked vacuum-packed beetroot..? They’re nutritious, frugal and widely available, so how can we make the most of them..? Plastic packaging aised (alas) they are one of our favourite ingredients for quick, tasty, healthy dishes such as this one.
In this recipe we whizz up the cooked beetroots with a little salty feta and a tablespoon of creamy tahini which enriches the mouthfeel of this dip hugely; the tahini’s bitter edge works well to curtail the natural sweetness of the beetroot. A smidge of garlic, a squeeze of lemon and some seasoning and you’re good to go!
We dollop this beetroot dip on top of well charred sourdough, and load it with some ras-el-hanout roasted carrots. It ‘reads’ a little strange, yes, – carrots on toast?? – but trust us, you’ll love it! The honey, sea salt and chilli work magic on the carrots, lending such a complex sweet/salty/spicy flavour profile, and brilliant texture too.
And the flavour hack? Dukkah, without question! Dukkah lifts this dish up no end; it adds further layers of gentle spices and lovely crunch. If your dukkah stash has run dry (gasp!) any toasted and coarsely chopped nut will work.
Prep time: 15
Cook time: 18
Thie recipe serves 2, with a little dip leftover.
Beetroot dip
- 250 g / 1 pack cooked beetroot
- 75 g / ½ block feta
- ½ lemon, juice only
- ½ tsp flakey sea salt
- 1 tbsp tahini
- ½ clove garlic, or 1 small clove, finely minced
Ras-el-hanout roasted carrots:
- 4-6 carrots, depending on size
- 2 cloves garlic
- 6 spring onions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ras-el-hanout
- ¼ tsp flakey sea salt
- ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp runny honey or maple syrup
To serve:
- Sliced sourdough
- Dukkah
- Fresh thyme leaves
- A little crumbled feta, optional
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and have an oven rack near the top.
- Prep your veggies: chop the carrots on a sharp angle; if they are organic there’s no need to peel them. Peel and finely slice the garlic cloves. Top and tail the spring onions – removing as little as possible – and peel away the outer layer only if it looks dry and papery.
- Toss the carrots, garlic and spring onions in a small mixing bowl with the olive oil, ras-el-hanout, sea salt, dried chillies, and honey or maple syrup to coat evenly. Tip this onto a roasting tray lined with parchment or greaseproof paper, and roast at the top of the preheated oven for 18 minutes. The honey or maple syrup will encourage the carrots to char well and build up deliciously complex flavours.
- Meanwhile, make your beetroot dip. Start by crushing or mincing the garlic very finely, then combine everything in your blender and whizz until ultra smooth and creamy. Taste for seasoning, then pop this in the fridge.
- When your carrots are nearly roasted, toast your sourdough. We find a ‘strong char’ here is really key: it gives more of a ‘buffer’ against soggy toast, and the bitter, smokey flavours of ‘burnt toast’ are truly fantastic amongst the sweetness and spice of the carrots, and the earthy, tangy nature of the beetroot dip.
- Load the charred sourdough with beetroot dip followed by a good pile of the carrots and onions. Top with dukkah, perhaps a little more crumbled feta, some fresh thyme leaves, a squeeze of lemon, and a few drops of your best extra virgin olive oil.
Rainbow flavour mayhem, this one! We hope the bright colours and bold flavours bring a huge smile to your face.
by @joeyandkatycook
The Plant Based Podcast 