This past winter, I played on a paddle tennis team for the first time which was really fun. Learned a lot, made some new friends and reconnected with some old friends. Won some, lost some and it was a great season.
No season is a season without a wrap up party, though right? Our mighty team met for a casual few sets and then returned to the home of one of our captains for a few nibbles, beverages and conversation to wrap things up until we meet again on the tennis courts or golf course in the Spring! My assignment – an appetizer.
For some reason, I really wanted to make something with beets. No idea why really, but I do adore beets so I set out to find something interesting to bring along.
I settled on an old Ottolenghi/Tamimi recipe from their Jersusalem cookbook that my friend Dale gave me years ago as a hostess gift. Believe it or not, it does not have that many ingredients which is saying a lot for an Ottolengi recipe! Beet Spread with Yogurt & Za’atar sounded delicious and seemed straightforward enough that I could give it a go, without a pre-test.
And I’m so glad I did, because not only was it a hit with my paddle group (even one friend suggesting she really liked it, and doesn’t care for beets!), but the recipe makes a fair amount so my husband and I ate the remaining spreadable “dip” on toast throughout the following week.
Beets are what I would call “dry roasted” in the oven first. Skip wrapping them in foil and whatnot. The point here is to cook them through and not add any additional moisture that will make your dip “weepy”. I found my cooking time to be a bit longer than Ottolenghi suggested, but my beets were quite large so best to check as you go. Once cooked and cooled, the beets are peeled and added to a food processor where there are blitzed into a puree. Added are Greek yogurt, olive oil, a red chile (or half in my case) and za’atar, a Middle Eastern spice mix that has sesame seeds, sumac and other dried herbs such as thyme or oregano. You have also seen it in my Za’atar Chicken with Lemon Yogur recipe!
The remaining ingredient which adds just a hint of sweetness is Date Syrup which is pretty easily found in many supermarkets. If you can’t find it, you can substitute maple syrup.
The result is a spread that is good with vegetables, crackers, endive leaves (as shown) or thickly dolloped onto a piece of toast.
Garnish with some feta or goat cheese, toasted pine nuts and some sliced green onions. A pinch of flaky salt never hurts!
With Spring having sprung yesterday, I figured this was a great time to post this colorful recipe. It would be beautiful on an Easter table…
So, who’s making this? Enjoy!
Until next time…
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Ingredients
- Scant 2 pounds medium beets (about 1 pound in total after cooking and peeling), 5-6 beets
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 small red chile such as Fresno, seeded and finely chopped (see note)
- Rounded 1 cup Greek yogurt (it's important to use a yogurt with a thicker consistency here)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons date syrup (maple syrup can be swapped)
- 3 Tablespoons best olive oil, plus extra to finish the dish
- 1 Tablespoon za'atar
- Salt
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons toasted nuts of choice
- 2 ounces crumbled feta or goat's milk cheese
- Flaky salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash the beets and place in a roasting pan that is lined with parchment paper (for ease of clean up). Put them in the oven and cook, uncovered, until a knife slides easily into the center, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel the beets and cut each one into 6 pieces. Allow to cool down.
- Place the beets, garlic, chile and yogurt in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Add the date or maple syrup, olive oil, za'atar and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Taste and add more salt if you like.
- Transfer the misture to a flat serving plate or bowl, and use the back of a spoon to spread it around the plate, creating a well in the middle for the garnishes.
- Scatter the green onions, nuts and cheese on top and drizzle with a bit more oil. Sprinkle with flaky salt if you have it.
- Serve at room temperature with crackers, endive leaves and other crudite.
Val – this looks so great. It’s on my must try list. Thanks for sharing!