This is a healthy butter bean hummus with beets (a vegan pate) perfect to have as an appetiser, to start your day, to snack on or take to a party. A superb and fast recipe to surprise your family or guests!
Start by cooking the beans according to the packet instructions ( I will tell you a secret - 50% of the time I use canned beans for this recipe as it is supposed to be a quick recipe.
Chop the cooked beetroots and set aside. I normally buy the ones that are baked and are slightly marinated in vinegar or I just bake my own and add tiny little balsamic vinegar to the whole thing.
Wash peel and chop the onion and the leek. Peel, crush and chop the garlic.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet using medium heat and when this is hot (not fuming please) put in the chopped onion, garlic, and leek and sauté until they become slightly translucent, I would say 2-3 minutes not longer. Add the rosemary or the thyme sprig and allow it to infuse for another 1-2 minutes and then remove.
Add in the cooked butter beans, garlic, and vegetable stock. Cover and reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 7-10 minutes until the liquid reduces considerably. When beans are done cooking, turn the heat off and set aside for a good few minutes to cool slightly.
When the beans have cooled a little, transfer them together with the roughly chopped beets, salt, and pepper to a food processor and blend until they are smushed but do not become a totally smooth paste. You choose the texture you would like these to be, as smooth or lumpy as you want them to be. For smoother texture do not reduce the juices totally when cooking.
Spoon beans into your desired dish and serve. I do prefer this cold as a spread but I do sometimes have it with a steak and mushrooms - see suggestion in tips.