There are coriander and cumin seeds toasting in a dry, shallow pan on the hob. Once they are deep walnut brown, I toss in sesame seeds and continue to toast till they’re golden. Once they darken to a deep brown-gold and their smell, warm and aromatic, filters through the kitchen, I put them in the mortar and crush them, with a sort of twisting, pounding action – the very same push and twist action with which I make pesto if I’m not using the food processor.
I continue until they resemble rough crumbs, after which they are joined by toasted, skinned hazelnuts and almonds, flakes of sea salt and dried thyme. It is not often I use dried herbs, but bear with me. I carry on bashing at the mix till I have a deeply fragrant, crunchy mix, neither paste nor powder, but somewhere in between, and deeply, headily scented. This seed-spice mixture then gets put into a glass jar, tightly lidded and placed within arm’s reach till needed.
The spice mix, my version of the dukkah found throughout the Middle East, is invaluable for introducing crunch, spice and aroma to everything from creamed chickpeas to mashed broad beans. It offers texture to a smooth purée and warm spicy notes to anything mild and creamy, perhaps a broad bean hummus or a purée of sweet roots such as beetroot, or pumpkin.
Stir the seed and spice mix into a little olive oil and you have an intense dip for torn pieces of warm flatbread, or for dipping sticks of celery or boiled eggs into. If I am using yogurt as a sauce for trickling over couscous, grilled chicken or steamed vegetables then out comes this spice mix, tossed like a farmer scattering seed, over the surface. Sometimes I tip it straight from the jar into my hand and eat it like a fistful of peanuts.
Hazelnut dukkah
hazelnuts 75g
almonds 100g
coriander seeds 2 tbsp
cumin seeds 1 tbsp
sesame seeds 3 tbsp
black sesame seeds 3 tbsp
sea salt flakes 1 tsp
black pepper ½ tsp
dried thyme 1 tbsp
Put the kettle on. Warm a dry, shallow pan over a low heat, then add the hazelnuts and let their skins darken, occasionally shaking the pan to prevent them from burning.
Put the almonds into a heatproof mixing bowl then pour over the boiling water from the kettle and leave to soak for 10 minutes. When the hazelnuts are deep brown in colour, remove from the heat and tip them into a clean tea towel. Rub the hazelnuts together in the tea towel until the skins flake off. Remove the nuts from the towel and return to the pan, toasting them to a deep, warm brown. Roughly chop them, leaving some of the pieces quite large.
Remove the almonds from the hot water with a draining spoon and pop them out of their skins. A quick squeeze between thumb and forefinger should do it. Put the almonds into the shallow pan and brown as evenly as you can, then tip on to a chopping board and roughly chop, or into a food processor and blitz.
In the shallow pan, toast the coriander and cumin seeds till dark and fragrant, taking great care not to burn them, then tip them into a mortar. Toast the sesame seeds for a couple of minutes, till the white ones turn golden. Crush the spices and seeds to a coarse powder with a pestle. (Use a mixing bowl and pound with a rolling pin if you have no pestle and mortar.) Add the nuts to the ground spices then stir in the salt, pepper and the dried thyme.
When cool, pack into a storage jar. It will keep for a couple of weeks.
Roast beetroot garlic hummus
You can make a quick version of this with ready-cooked beetroot, canned chickpeas and raw garlic, blitzed to a purée in a food processor, but I prefer this version. Roasting the beetroot, garlic and chickpeas together is unusual but gives a sweet, mellow quality. You will need some warm flatbread or hot toast on the side. The hummus keeps well enough for a day or two in the fridge, tightly covered with clingfilm.
Makes enough for 8
chickpeas 2 x 400g tins
beetroot 500g
garlic 4 cloves
water 200ml
olive oil 5 tbsp
To finish:
tahini 1 tbsp
olive oil 200ml
lemon juice 100ml
hazelnut dukkah to serve
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Line a baking tin with foil, leaving enough to fold over and seal the contents. Rinse the chickpeas in running water then tip them into the foil-lined baking tin. Peel the beetroot then chop each into about six pieces and add them to the chickpeas. Peel the garlic, then tuck among the beetroot. Pour in the water and olive oil, season lightly then fold over the foil and seal by lightly scrunching the edges together. Bake for an hour then open the foil and test for tenderness. If you can’t insert a metal skewer or knife point with the minimum of pressure then return to the oven for a little longer.
Transfer the beetroot, garlic, about three-quarters of the chickpeas and any liquid to a food processor and process to a smooth purée. Mix in the tahini, olive oil and lemon juice, then taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if required. Scrape into a serving bowl, cover with clingfilm then refrigerate till necessary.
Serve with some of the hazelnut dukkah and the remaining chickpeas scattered over.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @NigelSlater
