Pink hummus is perfect for parties, and homemade flatbreads beat packets of pitta every time
I first made this hummus for a fourth birthday party. As much as I rail against gender norms in most aspects of my life, the smallest girl in our household is a lover of pink and princesses, so I made her some lurid hummus. I've teamed it with a flatbread recipe I made at the Oxford Food Symposium this year.
(Makes 8)
For the flatbreads:
250g plain flour
250g wholemeal flour
1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
300ml warm water
For the hummus:
300g beetroot, peeled and quartered
300g cooked chickpeas, rinsed (drained weight)
2 fat cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
4 tbsp oil (I used groundnut)
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark four.
Mix together the flours, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add 250ml of the water. Combine to a soft dough, adding more water if necessary. Knead the dough well on a floured work surface - you'll feel it smooth and soften as you go.
Divide it into eight balls, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for an hour.
Put the beetroot in a roasting tin with a splash of oil. Cook in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes, until soft and slightly crisp around the edges, then remove and allow to cool.
Turn up the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark seven.
Put the chickpeas into a blender with the garlic and oil. Pulse, add the beetroot and pulse again, adding a splash of water if necessary. Spoon into ramekins, top with pumpkin seeds, cover and chill in the fridge.
When the flatbread dough has doubled in size, knock each ball back and roll out on a lightly floured surface to around 3mm. Place on a floured baking tray and cook for six minutes, until slightly puffed and and golden around the edges. Cut into strips and serve with the hummus.
Jack Monroe's beetroot hummus with homemade flatbread. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian