Sliced Avocado and Beetroot Hummus on Rye

Hummus is the best! It’s quite possibly one of the most gorgeous spreads around because it pairs with so well with so many different foods, is incredible healthy and is so easy to make. So, when deciding what to pair with a Pouilly Fumé wine at a recent tasting, I thought that sliced avocado and beetroot hummus on rye bread would be the perfect starter for my vegetarian and vegan friends. The beautiful warm red beetroot hummus nestled underneath the vibrant green avocado slices is such an incredible eye catching medley of colour. Who wouldn’t want to indulge?

Prepping the Ingredients

• This is a recipe that you can throw together in literally 20 minutes. However, you definitely need a food processor (Cuisinart) or high speed blender (Vitamix). I prefer to use a food processor simply because it’s able to chop everything up faster, as there’s a wider surface area to evenly mix all the ingredients together without a lot of scraping the sides and huge amounts of fuss.

Beetroot Hummus

• You’ll be surprised with how basic the ingredients are for this recipe. One of the key ingredients in hummus are chick peas. Feel free to use tinned ones; however, if you want to use dried chick peas, then you’ll need to soak them in water overnight. Next, you’ll need to find some tahini, which is basically sesame seed butter. It’s readily available in most grocery stores. Additionally, you’ll want to use “just-ripened” avocados. If they’re overripe, then they just turn into a mushy mess and don’t look as beautiful on top of your beetroot hummus. Finally, I used precooked beetroot that I found in the grocery store. Ensure that the beetroots aren’t soaked in sugar and vinegar, as that will change the flavour of the hummus.

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• If you’re using a food processor, begin by draining the chick peas and adding them first. Be sure to reserve the Aquafaba or chick pea liquid, as you’ll need to use it later. Next, add the lemon juice, tahini and pressed garlic. Blitz these together for about another minute or two until everything is a smooth paste. Be sure to scrape the sides and blitz again.

• Then add the beetroot to the paste and roughly chop it up inside the food processor using a knife, which avoids staining and a huge mess. Additionally, this also helps the food processor break down the beetroot faster, otherwise the its ends up spinning around like a horse on carousel ride. Then blitz the beetroot for about 2 minutes until the colour has changed to a bright ruby red.

• Next, you’ll want to season the hummus with ground cumin, salt and pepper.
• Finally, add 1 tablespoon of the Aquafaba and then 1 tablespoon of olive oil and blitz the mixture on high to combine all the ingredients until you reach a desirable consistency. Some people like their hummus a bit chunkier, but I prefer it creamy with all the ingredients perfectly blended.

Sliced Avocado

There are some really important tips to learn when slicing and prepping avocados that may just save you a lot of hassle.

• First of all, choose “just-ripe” avocados that aren’t too mushy. Basically, when you squeeze the avocado on the outside, you want a bit of firmness, otherwise your eventual slices will look gooey and unappetising.
• Begin by slicing the avocado down the centre, lengthwise with a large knife. Gently twist both sides apart. One half should have the seed intact and the other without. In order to remove the avocado seed, you will need to carefully insert the knife in the centre of the seed and twist. Then once the seed is stuck on the knife edge, gently push the edge of the knife into a cutting board to squeeze off the seed. This is the safest way to cut an avocado.

• Pour about 4 tablespoons of lime juice in a bowl. Basically, lime juice is acidic and this prevents the avocado from oxidising and turning brown. Nothing looks worse than brown avocado slices. It’s all about preservation, people!!! Once you’ve sliced the avocado, gently scoop it out from the skin with a large spoon and place it into the lime juice. Then remove it once the outside of the avocado is coated. Finally, slice the avocado and brush each slice with more lime juice. Now, you’re destined to have beautiful, vibrant green avocado slices!

Serving

• Prior to assembling the sliced avocado and beetroot hummus, you’ll need to find some hearty, wholesome rye bread or rye crisp crackers. I decided to go with slices of an organic rye bread that my friend Roanna @bakingbyro made for me. Rye bread has an earthy flavour that doesn’t overpower the avocado or beetroot, but rather they work together to create a sensational pairing!

• Slice the rye bread about 1 cm wide. This creates the perfect backdrop for the avocado and beetroot hummus!! Spread the beetroot hummus on top of the rye bread and then carefully arrange 3 avocado slices on top. Sprinkle red chilli flakes and fennel seed on top and then season with salt and pepper.

Wine Pairing

• Serve with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc wine. I chose to pair my sliced avocado and beetroot hummus on rye bread with Tesco’s Finest 2020 Pouilly Fumé from the Loire Valley region in France. The incredible floral, citrus and herbaceous aromatics of this wine complement the subtle avocado and beetroot flavours within this dish.