Beetroot Dumplings

In retrospect, beetroot may not have been the best thing to cook the night before the landlord was due to do an inspection. Beetroot stains everything with its bright pink juice. But it’s that bright colour that makes it so beautiful and when I saw the recipe for beet hummus on the Simply Recipes site, I just had to try it as a pasta filling. As with any recipe I’ve made a few little adjustments, notably the addition of walnuts to make it a better source of protein and therefore a more complete meal. In this state, it’s a great vegan dish. To continue that theme, I decided to use wonton wrappers, rather than a fresh pasta which usually contains eggs. I do think though, that a little goat’s curd or perhaps a dollop of creme fraiche would really make it buzz.
Now if you’ll excuse me I have bench tops to clean, floors to clean, how on earth did I get beetroot juice on the wall?

Beetroot Dumplings
Serves 4
3 medium size beetroot (about 250 g or ½ pound)
2 tbsp tahini
1 teaspoon cumin
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
80 g walnuts
32 wonton wrappers
Salad leaves plus additional crushed walnuts, to serve

1. Trim beetroot tops, then boil for 30 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool then peel and cut into small pieces. (When cooked, beetroot skin should just rub off with fingers. Gloves are smart but don’t stop the juice from going everywhere else. Be careful and don’t wear your best clothes! )
2. Combine beetroot, tahini, cumin, lemon zest and juice in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
3. Taste the mixture. Depending on the beets, you may require a extra lemon juice, or some salt.
4. Take a single wonton wrapper, and dampen the edges of the wrapper. Take one teaspoon of the beetroot mix and put it just off the centre of the square or circle. Fold the wrapper over, so the edges meet. Try to push out any air surrounding the filling then press to seal all the edges, making sure there are no gaps for filling to leak out.
I find it easiest to have three plates, plus a floured workspace in front of me. One plate for the wonton wrappers, kept covered so they don’t dry out, one saucer of water to dip my fingers into for dampening edges, and one large plate for the completed dumplings to rest without touching each other.
5. Once all dumplings have been made, cook them in a large pan of boiling water for about two minutes or until they float to the surface. They need room to swim, depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do these in batches.
6. To serve, line a bowl with salad leaves, eg rocket (arugula) or baby spinach, add the pasta, and then scatter chopped walnuts over the top.