This recipe comes from Laura Gladfelter, a member of the Chicago Food Swap community, who regularly brings this dip 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 (see page 121). 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.
Ingredients
- 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
How to Make It
- 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 11⁄2 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.
