Rachel Khoo: Super veg sandwich

A sandwich needn’t be loaded with bacon or ham to make it a serious feast. This vegetarian sandwich is colourful and crunchy, just what I crave in the summer. Charring the beetroot might seem like a lot of effort, but it adds a smoky depth to the hummus — it’s so delicious you could even serve it as a dip instead. The pickled carrots and feta also make a great appetiser.

Super veg sandwich

Makes enough for 4 sandwiches

For the beetroot hummus:

2 medium beetroots

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the pickled carrots and feta:

100ml white wine vinegar

50g sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp peppercorns

200g feta cheese, cubed

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

To serve:

Slices of bread

Sprouts or salad cress

Scrub the beetroots and place in a pan of water, ensuring they are covered. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes, or until tender.

In the meantime, bring 150ml water, the white wine vinegar, sugar, salt and peppercorns to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes until all the sugar has dissolved. Decant into a bowl, leave to cool to room temperature and then place in the fridge to chill. When chilled, add the feta and the carrots and put back in the fridge until ready to serve.

Preheat the grill to high and once the beetroot is tender, place under the grill, turning every 2 minutes so each side is blackened. (You can do this on the BBQ, too, for even better results.) Chop into rough chunks and place in a food processor with the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini and olive oil and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Blitz until smooth, check the seasoning once more and adjust to taste.

Spread the beetroot hummus on slices of bread, add the pickled carrots and feta, plenty of sprouts or salad cress and a few grindings of black pepper.