This recipe for beet-tahini dip comes from Laura Gladfelter, a member of the Chicago Food Swap community, who regularly brings it to swap. It is always quite popular, perhaps because of its unique color. The taste of the dip is winning as well. The beets provide sweetness and earthiness, the yogurt and lemon add tanginess, and the garlic gives the whole thing a little bite. Make it the day before you intend to serve or swap to allow the flavors to develop.
Ground sumac is a Middle Eastern spice made from ground sumac berries; it is the main ingredient in the spice mix za’atar. It adds an additional note of tartness to this dip. You should be able to find sumac online, in most spice stores, or in Middle Eastern grocery stores.
© Michael Piazza Photography, excerpted from Food Swap
Beet-Tahini Dip
Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 pounds beets
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup tahini (sesame paste)
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Wash the beets well and trim the ends off. If your beets are especially large, cut them into halves or quarters. Wrap the beets in foil and roast in the oven until tender, 1 to 1½ hours. When cool enough to handle, slip the outer skins off the beets and roughly chop.
Combine the beets, yogurt, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and sumac in a food processor, and purée until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper.
Store in the refrigerator until needed.
Notes
Packaging: For swapping, pack the dip into clean glass jars and decorate with a label or hanging tag. The dip will last for several weeks in the refrigerator. Remember that tahini sauce contains sesame seeds, a common allergen, so be sure to include a warning to that effect.
Excerpted from Food Swap © 2016 by Emily Paster (Storey Publishing).
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