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Root Hummus

This is an excellent alternative to hummus. It's made with root vegetable instead of chickpeas (hummus). You can make it with celery or parsley root, turnip or Jerusalem artichokes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Course: Lunch, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Israeli, Middle Eastern

Keyword: Gluten-Free, Plant-Based

Servings: 4 as an appetizer

Author: Shelly

Cost: $5

Ingredients

1 medium celeriac (celery root) or parsley root or Jerusalem artichokes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
½ cup blanched almonds or walnuts, roughly crashed, or ¼ cup tahini butter
2 - 3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
Olive oil
Sweet paprika for garnishing the plate
1 red hot chili pepper or jalapeño - thinly sliced - optional

Instructions

Peel and roughly dice the celeriac, then put into a large saucepan. Add ½ teaspoon cumin and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil then lower the heat to medium. Cook the celeriac for about 15 minutes or until it's tender. Remove from the heat, drain, and let the celeriac cool completely before the next step.
Put the celeriac into a food processor with the garlic, almonds, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon cumin, and salt. Process until the texture is smooth and velvety.
Taste and correct seasoning – add more salt or lemon juice if necessary.
Spread it on a flat plate, drizzle a little bit olive oil, sprinkle sweet paprika, garnish with chili peppers or parsley leaves, or both, and serve.

Notes

It's not much fun to peel root vegetables, but their earthy and nutty flavor is worth the effort. The best way to peel celeriac is to cut the bottom of it straight, so the funky-looking vegetable sits flat on the cutting board. Now hold it with one hand, then use the other hand to slice the skin off with a sharp knife.