Beet tahini

So here is something really good you can do with tahini, the sesame seed paste of my previous post It tastes great and looks amazing!  Some people call it beet hummus but I’m not sure that’s the right name for it. Hummus is made with chickpeas and although you certainly can add beets to hummus, this recipe here is made just with tahini and beets. So, beet tahini it is.  

It’s obviously better to make this with fresh beets but you can use the ready cooked vacuum packed ones for a last minute dip.  Serve it with pita, toast or crackers as part of a mezze or on its own as a snack. It’s light, it’s healthy, it’s tangy and the vivid magenta colour is stunning! 

Beet Tahini

Ingredients

4  medium beets – cooked and peeled

2 tablespoons tahini paste (see previous post) 

3 tbs lemon juice

1 clove garlic chopped

1 tbs freshly ground coriander seeds  OR I tsp freshly ground cumin

1 tbs olive oil

salt, black pepper

Lemon zest (1-2 lemons depending on size)

Method

• First cook the beets. You can steam, boil, braise or roast them. (I usually steam). Let them cool then slip off the peel and cut off any woody stem parts.
• Chop roughly, put into a food processor and blend.
• Add the tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and blend. Add ground coriander seeds – or cumin –  blend again till the mixture is smooth.
• Add lemon zest and a generous pinch of salt and ground black pepper to taste. Drizzle with a little olive oil to garnish.
• Adjust all seasoning as necessary.(And don’t throw those lovely nutritious beet leaves away. Chop them up and sautéed them, on their own or with other green leaves. Recipe here)