Beetroot hummus with gluten-free squid ink flatbread

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Unleash your experimental side and create a this stunning beetroot hummus dip recipe complete with gluten-free squid ink black flatbread for a touch of visual drama. Quick and simple to make with no compromise on flavour.

I recently went on a long weekend jaunt to the Cotswolds, for some pretty scenery and lots of eating. The scenery soothed the spirits and the food we ate inspired this simple, colourful, gluten-free dish.

On our way to Cheltenham, we had a mini-break within our mini-break in Bristol, so we could go to Casamia, a fabulous family run restaurant with one menu that changes depending on the season. I was blown away by my dinner, particularly the freshness and zing of the tomato and whipped Mozzarella course. I will certainly be back to try autumn’s offerings, but it wasn’t Casamia, with its Michelin star, that inspired my dish. It was a quick lunch at Tom Hunt’s Eat Poco where I ate beetroot “houmous” with the most glorious sourdough I have eaten in some time. Eat Poco’s version was magenta pink and topped with oil and chopped dill.

After I’d already made my own version, I bought Hunt’s book, The Natural Cook, and found that his recipe doesn’t contain tahini or chickpeas, hence the inverted commas in “houmous”. I had decided to stick to a more traditional hummus, but with added beetroot and I was extremely pleased with the results. Although the colour isn’t quite as pure as the Eat Poco version, it is still vibrant and enticing. I decided to use smoked garlic as I had some kicking around waiting to be used and opted for chopped chives instead of dill as a garnish.

On the way back to London, we stopped off in Winchester to have lunch with friends at The Black Rat. The breadbasket arrived, along with a few lumps of coal. Or so it seemed. For these lumps of coal were, in fact, little squid ink bread rolls. Very nice they were too. There was something especially pleasing about the enormity of contrast between the jet black bread and the pale ivory butter. Hello, I thought. I’m going to make some of that when I get home. But instead of pieces of bready coal, I decided to make squid ink gluten-free flatbreads, to make scooping up the purply-pink hummus a little easier.

So, here we are. Two colourful gluten-free recipes, inspired by two very delicious and colourful holiday meals.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Beetroot hummus

  • 250g of beetroot, boiled and peeled
  • chickpeas, 1 tin, rinsed and, if you want a smoother texture, slipped out of their skins. Be warned, this is a tedious business, but well worth the effort if you like your hummus to be smooth
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed, or preferably smoked garlic if you can get it
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • tahini, 1-2 tbsp depending on taste
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste
  • ground black pepper, optional

Squid ink flatbreads

  • 100g of rice flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 75g of buckwheat flour
  • 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 10g of sugar
  • 7g of fast-action dried yeast
  • Greek yoghurt, 1 level tbsp
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil, plus extra for frying
  • 1 egg
  • squid ink, or cuttlefish ink, 1 sachet
  • 75ml of water

Method

1
For the beetroot hummus, simply whizz up all the ingredients in the food processor until you have a fairly smooth purée. Add a little water if the texture is too claggy and blitz again to combine. Keep blitzing for longer if you like it really silky
2
Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some chopped chives for extra colour, if you want to
3
To make the flatbreads, place all the dry ingredients into a food processor and blitz to mix. Add the yoghurt, oil, egg and ink and blitz again until combined. Add a little of the water at a time, pulsing the motor between each addition until you have a soft, but not sticky, dough. You may not need all the water
4
Tip the dough out into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Leave the bowl somewhere warm for around an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size
5
Roll small pieces of dough (about the size of a child’s palm) between your hands to create a smooth ball and roll into oval on a lightly floured work surface. Repeat with the remaining dough
6
Place each flatbread in a hot frying pan with a glug of oil for a couple of minutes each side. Leave to cool slightly before slicing the bread into soldiers to dip in your beetroot hummus

Victoria is a London-based food writer and recipe developer. She was the Roald Dahl Museum’s first ever Gastronomic Writer in Residence and has written six books, including her latest, Too Good To Waste.

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