Carrot Pancakes with Beetroot Hummus and Grilled Cheese

Introduction

This vegetarian dish is so simple, yet its colours and plating elevate it to a higher level. If you like, you can buy pre-cooked chickpeas and beetroot, saving a great deal of time! I confess that I often turn it into a main course, eating four pancakes instead of one.

Instructions

Beetroot Hummus

1. Prepare the chickpeas. The day before, rinse the chickpeas under running water using a sieve and place them in a bowl, covering with water.

2. Cook. Cut the beetroot in half and place it in cold water together with the chickpeas. Cover with twice as much water as the ingredients. Flavour with thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Bring to the boil and cook for about 40 minutes. Towards the end of cooking, season with salt.

3. Blend. Discard the water and aromatics. Peel the beetroot and break it into rough pieces. Place the chickpeas and beetroot in a food processor. Chop the garlic and add it to the processor along with the fleur de sel, pepper, olive oil and tahini. Process until silky smooth and not too watery.

4. Finish the hummus. Chop the coriander and fold it into the hummus. Set aside.

Pancakes

5. Prepare the batter. Grate the carrot and place it in a bowl. Add the flour, egg, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg and fleur de sel. Mix until everything is incorporated and the batter is thick. Drizzle in a little olive oil.

6. Fry. Heat a frying pan and drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil. Over medium heat, drop separate spoonfuls of pancake batter. Let them brown and, with the help of a spatula, flip and brown on the other side. Add more olive oil if needed. Set aside.

Grilled Cheese

7. Grill. Heat a griddle pan. Cut the cheese into generous rounds and sear them on the griddle on each side. Sprinkle with oregano, fleur de sel and pepper.

Serve

8. Plate. Place a pancake on a plate. Spread the hummus over the centre of the pancake. On top, place a round of cheese. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a few coriander leaves to taste.