Karen’s Roasted Beet Dip with Za’atar Bread Flatbreads
Jul 11, 2024, Updated Nov 02, 2024
A Hearty and Healthy Beet Dip with a Rich Roasted Flavor. Add Homemade Seasoned Flatbread for the Perfect Mezze Starter!
I served this recipe as a welcome hors d’oeuvre at my last Cooking Class: Spring Fling: Cooking with the Season to rave reviews! (Greenwich CT.)
A delicious dip & mezze spread with a dynamic magenta color.
Has an earthy yet sweet taste – you can control the flavor… with garlic, lemon or heat using Aleppo pepper (mildly spicy and playfully sweet.)
A Mutabbal dip is typically made with eggplant and served as a mezze or spread, this colorful version of is made with beets.
After enjoying a meal at Restaurant Damas in Montreal a few weeks ago – the taste of their robust Cold Mezz: Beet Mutabbal is still so memorable, I decided to make it in my kitchen.
My efforts paid off, and this delicious Syrian Appetizer/Mezz is a recipe I will make often!
The key is roasting the beets perfectly in the oven, then blending it with seasonings and ingredients – but not to overpower the flavor of the beets… its central ingredient.
Great for a snack on bread or veggie slices (I’m loving it dolloped on an endive leaves!)… and perfect for company!
Can be made a head of time ~ so a simple way to feed many. (I have found the dip can stay fresh up to 2 weeks in a well sealed glass container.)
Roasted Beets (homemade a must!), garlic, tahini, yogurt, sugar, Aleppo pepper, cumin and sea salt. (EVOO for drizzling on top.)
A Snap to Make!!
Roast Beets for one hour wrapped in foil
Additional Toppings:
Float of EVOO – Coaresly Chopped Parsley -Toasted Pine Nuts – Crumbled Feta Cheese
A meze is a big part of the dining experience in Eastern Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Arab countries. The word “meze” means “taste” and/or “snack.” The concept is very similar to the tapas of Spain, but with different ingredients.
Mezze are small plates and appetizers that are often shared before a meal in the Middle East.
Also See:
Karen’s Middle Eastern Za’atar Flat Bread
Available Now ~ Check out my Farmers’ Market Jute Bag! It is designed by me with a zesty-flair and Fair Trade.
IT’S FARMERS’ MARKET SEASON!
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You’ll love this mezze /dip!!
Karen
Roasted Beet Dip (Beet Mutabbal)
A delicious starter - can be an accompianment to a Meze. Recipe tested after loving it at Dumas Restaurant in Montreal.
Ingredients
- 2 large red ruby beets, (will have 3 cups after roasting)
- 1 3/4 teaspoons garlic, peeled, grated
- 5 tablespoons tahini
- 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/4 teaspoon pure cane sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon aleppo pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, (you can try using 1/4 t.)
- 3 tablespoons greek yogurt
Instructions
Roasting Beets:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim, clean and dry beets. Add each beet to a piece of heavy foil, drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and crimp the top securely over each beet. Place on a baking tray and roast for one hour.HINT: Beets should not be soft, just cooked through; yet bottoms will be darkened.
- Cool beet slightly, remove the skins with the back of a knife. Coarsely chop them. Add beets and next 7 ingredients (garlic through sea salt in a food processor.)
- Pulse a few times until a puree - leaving with some texture, not too smooth. Pulse in the yogurt, taste for seasonings.
Serving:
- Add to a nice bowl, drizzle with a little EVOO and coarsely chopped parsley. Optional: add toasted pine nuts and crumbled feta cheese.
Storing the Dip:
- Add to a clean glass container with a good seal. Store in the coldest part of the refrigerator, the back. Use within 2 weeks.
Notes
This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.Â
Nutrition
Calories: 46kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 2gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0.1mgSodium: 104mgPotassium: 141mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 43IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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