300g dried chickpeas, soaked 12 hours ahead (or 2x400g tins of pre-cooked chickpeas drained)
3 large beetroots, or 6 medium-sized (or 600g pre-cooked beetroot)
2 large onions, chopped roughly
4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped roughly
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
3 tablespoons tahini
Olive oil (to taste)
1 vegetable stock cube with 500ml hot water, or 500ml vegetable stock
Fresh chopped herbs to garnish

Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 200°C (180 fan). Wash the beetroot, coat in olive oil and salt liberally (the salt needs to penetrate to the middle of the beetroot, so use plenty). Line a baking tray with foil and roast the beetroot whole for at least 2 hours, or until a skewer passes through with no resistance. Allow to cool, then peel the skin (this should slide off easily), cut up roughly and put aside.

Step 2

While the beetroot is roasting, boil the chickpeas in well-salted water, until they break down under little pressure. Drain and set aside.

(If working with pre-cooked chickpeas and beetroot, start from Step 3)

Step 3

Sweat the onions in olive oil (with a pinch of salt) until translucent. Add the garlic on low heat and cook for a couple of minutes. Still on low heat, add the cumin and keep cooking to wake up the spice. If things start to stick, add some veg stock or water to the pan to deglaze. After 5 minutes, remove pan from heat and transfer the onion/cumin mix to a large saucepan.

Step 4

Add the chickpeas, beetroot, a glug of olive oil and the veg stock to the pan, and bring to a simmer. Stir in the tahini until it dissolves.

Step 5

Blend the soup. A jug blender is ideal, as it will give you a smoother soup, but if you prefer to keep some of the texture from the chickpeas, an immersion blender works fine. Adjust consistency with water and season to taste.

Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh herbs and (if you like) some whole chickpeas.

Note

Super easy version: blend hummus and cooked beetroot in a food processor, then add to saucepan with veg stock and bring to a simmer.