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Rainbow houmous platter

For a beautifully colourful spread which is full of diverse, fresh and earthy flavours, this vegan houmous platter is the ticket.

For a beautifully colourful spread which is full of diverse, fresh and earthy flavours, this vegan houmous platter is the ticket.

Ingredients

For the pickled baby veg

For the beetroot houmous

For the carrot houmous

For the pea and mint houmous

To serve

Mixed heritage beetroot (we used 2 golden candy, 2 candy and 2 red), sliced thinly
200g mixed radishes
2 green chicory, leaves separated
2 red chicory, leaves separated
6 celery sticks, cut in batons
200g large green olives
200g sweety drop or peppadew peppers

You’ll also need

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For the pickled baby veg, put all the ingredients, except the vegetables, in a pan with 250ml water and bring slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour into a heatproof glass or ceramic bowl, then add the baby carrots and cauliflower. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours (see Make Ahead).
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Put the beetroot chunks on
a sheet of foil, drizzle with oil, add salt and pepper, then wrap to seal tightly. Set on one side of a baking tray. Repeat with the carrot chunks, wrapping in the same way, and put on the other side of the baking tray. Roast for 30 minutes, then open the carrot parcel and set aside to cool. Return the beetroot parcel to the oven for a further 15-20 minutes until tender.
For the carrot houmous, drain 400g chickpeas, reserving the liquid from the tin. Put in a food processor with the roasted carrots, caraway seeds, garlic, tahini and lemon juice. Whizz, then, with the motor running, pour in a little of the reserved chickpea liquid to form a smooth, thick houmous. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then transfer to a bowl. Rinse out the food processor.

Repeat the same method with the beetroot houmous ingredients and the pea houmous ingredients, adding just enough liquid each time to reach the desired consistency.
To assemble the platter, put the houmous in 3 separate serving bowls, then put on a larger platter, board or tray. Drain the pickled veg, reserving the pickling liquid (see Make Ahead), then arrange around the bowls with the raw veg and remaining ingredients.
Sprinkle with the garnishes: pul biber flakes on the carrot houmous, a drizzle of extra pomegranate molasses and pomegranate seeds on the
beetroot houmous and fresh mint leaves on the pea houmous.

This recipe is from the December issue of delicious. magazine. Pick up a copy – on sale now – for plenty more Christmas recipe inspiration.

The pickling liquid will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and can be re-used. Make the houmous up to 2 days ahead, then keep in containers in the fridge.
Pul biber (or aleppo pepper) is coarse chilli flakes from Turkey and Syria. It has a fruity, smoky flavour, but mild heat. Buy from Waitrose or souschef.co.uk. Or use good quality paprika instead.
These diverse flavours suit a dry, apple-tart Loire Valley chenin blanc.