beet dip

Middle Eastern beet dip

with goat cheese, hazelnuts, and za’atar

Not everything I cook is my own recipe. And not everything can be made better, or at least different but equal, by me putting my own twist to it. I adore this dip and can’t imagine being able to improve upon it in any way.

It’s rare that I leave this one off the table when I’m making an Israeli spread of falafel, dips, and salads. Not only is it divine, it’s also gorgeous—especially when just about everything else on the table is some shade of brown. And if it were’t there, the kids would complain.

The reason I’m bothering to post someone else’s recipe is that it’s included on more than one of my menus, and I want it to be easy for you to access it, should you want to follow said recipe. But really, you should treat yourself to a copy of “Jerusalem, A Cookbook” by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, if you haven’t got one.

I’m serving this recipe as part of my menu for Parashat Noach.

Ingredients:

• About 2 lbs (6 medium) beets, roasted and peeled (see instructions below)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 small red chile, seeded and finely chopped (I leave it out and use a bit of Aleppo pepper instead.)

• 1 rounded cup Greek yogurt or labne (I prefer to use labne because it’s thicker and tangier)

• 1 ½ tablespoons date syrup (silan) or to taste

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

• 1 tablespoon za’atar (I use more)

For the Garnish:

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

2 ounces chevre, crumbled

To roast beets:

Cut off any long roots. Cut the stems flush with the top of the beet. Reserve the greens for another use. Wrap each beet loosely in foil and put them in the oven. Roast them for about an hour and then check to see if they’re tender by sliding the point of a knife into the biggest one. When they’re done, remove them from the oven, remove the foil, and rub them with a paper towel to remove the skins. Do it while they’re still fairly hot—don’t burn yourself—and the skins will come off easily.

To make the dip:

In a food processor, combine the beets with the garlic, the chile pepper if using, and the yogurt or labne, reserving 1 tablespoon. Blend it to a paste and then add the silan, the oil, the za’atar, and 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste. Transfer the beet dip to a flat serving plate. Swirl in the remaining labne or yogurt, garnish with the goat cheese and the scallions, drizzle with a bit more olive oil, and sprinkle on the chopped hazelnuts.