Pink And Gold Beet Dip With Pine Nuts

Serves 8

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

A bright pink dip made of pureed beets has always been one of my favorite dishes, both aesthetically and in terms of taste. But, mixing a sunshine yellow beet dip into the equation takes this classic to uncharted, borderline tie dye levels of presentation that people will love. It’s an extra step to make two different batches of dip, but when you bring them together and combine them with all those finishing touches it’s a real showstopper.

Ingredients:

3 medium red beets

3 medium yellow beets

½ tsp turmeric

4 cloves garlic

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 cup tahini

2 tsp salt

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp coriander

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Garnish:

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and chopped

¼ bunch chives, finely chopped

1 Tbsp za’atar

2 Tbsp olive oil

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Wrap the red beets in one tight foil packet, and wrap the yellow beets in a second, separate foil packet. Try to find beets of similar size so that they cook in the same amount of time, and keep the yellow beets separate from the red ones in order to preserve their contrasting color. Roast on a baking sheet for 1½ – 2 hours, or until very tender. Remove the beets from the oven, unwrap them from the foil packets and peel while still warm. Chop the peeled beets, reserving 1/2 cup of the yellow beets for garnish.

Puree the yellow beet dip first. Place the peeled and chopped yellow beets in the food processor and add the turmeric, which will heighten the golden color. Then add 2 cloves of garlic, ½ cup Greek yogurt, ½ cup tahini, 1 tsp each of salt, cumin, coriander, and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Puree until very smooth. Remove from the food processor and transfer to a bowl. Then, repeat with the red beets. Add them to the food processor along with the remaining garlic, Greek yogurt, tahini, salt, cumin, coriander and lemon juice. Blend until very smooth.

To plate, place a dollop of the yellow beet dip on the bottom of your serving bowl. Top with some of the red beet dip, then artfully draw swirls through the whole thing with an offset spatula or the tip of a knife. Creatively add more dollops of the contrasting colors and create a unique look. To finish, top with the pine nuts, chives, za’atar, olive oil, and the leftover yellow beets. Most importantly, take a picture of all this hard work for your Instagram before you dig in!