Roasted beetroot houmous

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas 6. Place a large piece of foil on a baking sheet. Add the beetroot, skin-on garlic cloves, thyme and oil. Seal the foil like a parcel and cook in the oven for 1 hr–1 hr 30 mins, until the beetroot is tender and a knife can be inserted easily. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Once the beetroot is cool, peel and quarter 2 of them. Pulse a few times in a food processor. Set the third beetroot aside for the garnish.

Drain the chickpeas from the tin, reserving 60ml of the liquid in a jug. Add the chickpeas to the food processor and blitz for 60 secs to combine.

Add the tahini, lemon zest and juice, crushed garlic, salt and 50ml of the chickpea liquid. Blitz for 1–2 mins until smooth. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and add the remaining 10ml liquid if the consistency is still a little thick. Taste for seasoning, adjusting with a little more salt or lemon juice if needed, then blitz again for a further 30 secs until all is soft, creamy and pink.

To serve, spoon the houmous onto a plate in a mound and use the back of a spoon to smear it across the plate. Chop the remaining beetroot into small cubes and place in the centre. Top with the feta and thyme leaves, if using, along with a drizzle of oil.

Cook’s tip: For an alternative garnish, roast 50g walnut halves in an oven set to 180ºC/160ºC fan/gas 4 for 5 mins. Roughly chop and sprinkle over the houmous along with olive oil and some roughly chopped flat leaf parsley. Adding pistachios, goats’ cheese, and chopped mint is also a great combo.