Butternut Hummus with Feta and Roasted Seeds By Chef Mokgadi Itsweng
Butternut squash are grown and easily accessible all year round in South Africa. I love
using butternuts in cooking, baking, and easy eating like this hummus recipe. Butternuts
are sweet, creamy and pair very well with salty and sweet dishes. They are packed with
vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants that our bodies need to function properly and
are also low in calories. I serve this hummus as part of a grazing board with crusty, as a
spread for sandwiches or as a dip with raw vegetables. *
Ingredients:
- 250g butternut squash, peeledand cubed.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove finely grated.
- 100g dried chickpeas (which mustbe soaked) or 400g chickpeas,drained with the water reservedfor use as aquafaba.
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1⁄4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to season
- For topping50g feta
- handful sunflower seeds, roasted.
- fresh herbs
Method:
Preheat oven to 200C and brush the roasting tray with oil.
Place the butternut squash on the roasting tray and roast for 20-25minutes,
until the butternut squash is cooked. Allow to cool.In a blender or food processor, blend butternut, oil, garlic, chickpeas, peanut
butter, lemon juice and cumin togetherSeason with salt and pepper and add a little water if the mixture is not
blended smoothly.Scoop the hummus into a serving bowl and top with crumbled feta cheese,
chopped herbs and toasted seeds.Serve with crackers or vegetables as part of a grazing board.
*My granny grew butternut squash in her allotment garden. She would use the whole
plant, from seed; which she dried and roasted for snacking; to the skin which she roasted
into crispy chips, and the flesh which she used to make all sorts of dishes and for baking.
For this recipe, I use canned chickpeas, but dried chickpeas also work well for this recipe.
If using dried chickpeas, you need to soak them in water overnight or for at least 4 hours
before using. This helps with cutting down on the cooking time, which is a great energy
and time saver. If using canned chickpeas like me, drain them and keep the water to use
as aquafaba; a protein rich water that can be used in vegan baking and cooking. The
chickpeas are the real hero of this dish as they add protein and depth of flavour to the
hummus. The feta cheese in this recipe adds saltiness and the seeds add crunchiness to
the hummus.
