Hummus and Spreads Three Ways

Green Spread

Goutweed is the main ingredient for green spread. It contains essential oil and tastes like celery. For salad, we use fresh leaves throughout the growing season. It really stimulates our digestion and metabolism, with a disinfecting and stimulating effect. We also add purslane, which is of mild, faintly sour and salty flavour. It’s an ancient medicinal plant that functions as a digestion stimulator. It contains plenty of vitamin C and minerals and is known for high levels of omega 3 fatty acids.

How to: All ingredients, except for the olive oil, go in the blender and are blended into a smooth texture. While blending, slowly add olive oil. Plate it and, if desired, decorate with feta cheese.

Beetroot Spread

I experimented with the nutritious and well-known horseradish. Besides sharp mustard oils, it contains a lot of vitamin C, potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B groups, antibiotics and other substances, and is therefore highly valued in the healing industry. It stimulates digestion, blood circulation and urine secretion, disinfects, and has medicinal properties. But it’s because of its sharpness that we shouldn’t overindulge with this particular plant.

How to: Chop up the beetroot and roast it in the oven at 220 °C for approx. 25 minutes. Then roast the sunflower seeds in a dry pan until they aromatise and turn brown. Toss all the ingredients in the blender and blend till smooth. Serve in a bowl.

Orange Hummus

To this next spread, I’ve added some wood sorrel, which is, due to its sour taste, a perfect addition to the pumpkin. Wood sorrel is a gentle, small plant. It grows to about ten centimetres in height. It’s found in shady forests, under dense groups of trees or under thick bushes, where the shade prevents anything else from growing. Chewing its leaves is most refreshing. Some say it alleviates the feeling of thirst.

How to: Carve up and peel the pumpkin. Roast it is the oven at 220 °C for approx. 20 minutes or until soft. Throw all the ingredients, except for the olive oil, into the blender. Blend till smooth. Slowly add olive oil. Serve in a bowl.