Discovering a vegetable you thought could only be eaten cooked can in fact be eaten raw is always a revelation.
Learning, for instance, I could shred raw beets in my food processor and toss them in a salad was as mind-blowing as discovering I could thinly slice Swiss chard and give it the kale salad treatment.
But these revelations are especially welcomed at the height of the summer, when turning on the oven becomes less appealing with each degree the temperature rises.
Last summer, one of you (thanks Peg!) sent me a link to this Tejal Rao recipe for a beet and walnut dip , which reminded me of this favorite beet-labneh dip from Washington D.C.’s Maydan, but whereas Maydan’s recipe calls for roasted beets, Tejal’s recipe calls for raw, uncooked beets. How. Nice.
For the past two weeks, the beets from our CSA have landed in Tejal’s raw beet dip, and in addition to not cooking the beets, I haven’t been peeling them either. I know: rebel .
Tejal got the recipe from the owners of Botanica, a vegetable-focused restaurant in Los Angeles. Its roots stem to muhammara, the Middle Eastern spread made from red peppers. It includes many classic raw dip flavorings — nuts, lemon, garlic, chile flakes, and olive oil — but it also includes pomegranate molasses, which offers both sweet and tart notes.
As recommended, I’ve been spreading it atop Greek yogurt (or labneh), drizzling over a healthy amount of olive oil, grating fresh lemon over top, and finishing it with a generous garnish of crushed, toasted almonds.
There is so much flavor going on in this dish I don’t know where to begin. On the one hand it’s very familiar: garlic, lemon, toasted nuts, and olive oil evoke many a dip from pesto to romesco. But the tangy pomegranate molasses in combination with the earthy beets pushes it into a category of its own. I find it irresistible.
It has proven not only to be a delicious and striking appetizer — the color, truly is spectacular — but also a nice accompaniment to so many of my current favorite dishes: falafel burgers , homemade pita , and smoky grilled chicken .
As suggested, I’ve been serving it with Persian cucumbers and pita , and in this lethargy-inducing heat wave, its bright, cooling flavors have been just the ticket. I hope it will be for you as well.
Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients.
You’ll need to toast the almonds, trim the ends of the beets and roughly chop them, and juice some lemons or limes.
Place all of the ingredients with the exception of the olive oil into a food processor or blender, and purée until smooth. Stream in the olive oil and continue blending until smooth.
You likely won’t get it completely smooth, but a bit of texture in the purée is nice.
On the left: beet dip. On the right: Greek yogurt seasoned with a pinch of salt.
Spread the yogurt over a platter. Spread the beet dip on top. Drizzle olive oil over top. Shave lemon zest over top.
Top with more toasted almonds. Be generous — the crunch is so nice.
Description
Adapted from this Tejal Rao recipe in The New York Times
A few changes I’ve made:
- I don’t peel the beets.
- I use almonds in place of the walnuts, only because I always have almonds on hand.
- I use Greek yogurt in place of labneh, again, only because I always have it on hand.
Pomegranate Molasses: I like the Cortas brand . Many grocery stores now carry pomegranate molasses, but you may want to call ahead before to make a visit to be sure. If you live locally, Nora’s in Albany carries the Cortas pomegranate molasses.
Almonds or other nuts: I’ve been toasting 1.25 cups sliced almonds in a large dry skillet over medium to low heat until the nuts are evenly golden. 1 cup goes into the dip; 1/4 cup is used for garnish. You may want to toast more if you love almonds.
Greek Yogurt: I love the Fage 5% Greek yogurt. I season it with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and beat it with a spoon to lighten its texture a bit before spreading it over the platter.
Lemon: If you don’t want to waste the zest of the lemon you are juicing, zest it before juicing it, and set it aside. I prefer zesting the lemon right over the tip — I just find it easier — but I understand wanting to zest the lemon before juicing it for conservation purposes.
- 1/2 lb. beets (2-3 small-is or 1 – 2 medium), ends trimmed, roughly chopped
- 1 cup almonds (sliced or whole), toasted in a dry skillet (see notes above), plus extra for garnish
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice, plus zest for garnishing, see notes above
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses, plus more to taste, see notes above
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup labneh or Greek yogurt, for serving, see notes above
- Torn pita , for serving
- 3 Persian cucumbers, quartered, for serving
- Put the beets, toasted almonds, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, chile flakes, garlic, and salt into a food processor or blender. Purée on high until beets and nuts are finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, and blend again, until the mixture is very smooth—you may have to repeat this stopping and scraping process several times to get the mixture as smooth as possible.
- Add the olive oil — I like to add this in a steady stream via the tiny hole of the food pusher insert — and blend again, scraping down the sides, until mixture forms a mostly smooth purée. Taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, additional lemon juice, and pomegranate molasses, if desired. (I’ve consistently been using 1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice and adding a pinch more salt to taste.)
- Spoon labneh or Greek yogurt (seasoned if desired, see note above) into a bowl, smoothing it with the back of a spoon. (Note: You do not have to spread all of the yogurt and all of the dip onto a platter at once — I’ve been assembling small plates of this; then stashing the remainder in the fridge.) Spread the beet dip over top, smoothing again with the back of a spoon. Top with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Zest a lemon over top. Sprinkle with chopped or crushed toasted almonds; top with reserved lemon zest. Serve with pita and cucumbers for dipping.
- Extra dip can be store in the fridge for as long as a week.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Food Processor
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Description
Adapted from this Tejal Rao recipe in The New York Times
A few changes I’ve made:
- I don’t peel the beets.
- I use almonds in place of the walnuts, only because I always have almonds on hand.
- I use Greek yogurt in place of labneh, again, only because I always have it on hand.
Pomegranate Molasses: I like the Cortas brand . Many grocery stores now carry pomegranate molasses, but you may want to call ahead before to make a visit to be sure. If you live locally, Nora’s in Albany carries the Cortas pomegranate molasses.
Almonds or other nuts: I’ve been toasting 1.25 cups sliced almonds in a large dry skillet over medium to low heat until the nuts are evenly golden. 1 cup goes into the dip; 1/4 cup is used for garnish. You may want to toast more if you love almonds.
Greek Yogurt: I love the Fage 5% Greek yogurt. I season it with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and beat it with a spoon to lighten its texture a bit before spreading it over the platter.
Lemon: If you don’t want to waste the zest of the lemon you are juicing, zest it before juicing it, and set it aside. I prefer zesting the lemon right over the tip — I just find it easier — but I understand wanting to zest the lemon before juicing it for conservation purposes.
- 1/2 lb. beets (2-3 small-is or 1 - 2 medium), ends trimmed, roughly chopped
- 1 cup almonds (sliced or whole), toasted in a dry skillet (see notes above), plus extra for garnish
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice, plus zest for garnishing, see notes above
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses, plus more to taste, see notes above
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup labneh or Greek yogurt, for serving, see notes above
- Torn pita , for serving
- 3 Persian cucumbers, quartered, for serving
- Put the beets, toasted almonds, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, chile flakes, garlic, and salt into a food processor or blender. Purée on high until beets and nuts are finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, and blend again, until the mixture is very smooth—you may have to repeat this stopping and scraping process several times to get the mixture as smooth as possible.
- Add the olive oil — I like to add this in a steady stream via the tiny hole of the food pusher insert — and blend again, scraping down the sides, until mixture forms a mostly smooth purée. Taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, additional lemon juice, and pomegranate molasses, if desired. (I’ve consistently been using 1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice and adding a pinch more salt to taste.)
- Spoon labneh or Greek yogurt (seasoned if desired, see note above) into a bowl, smoothing it with the back of a spoon. (Note: You do not have to spread all of the yogurt and all of the dip onto a platter at once — I’ve been assembling small plates of this; then stashing the remainder in the fridge.) Spread the beet dip over top, smoothing again with the back of a spoon. Top with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Zest a lemon over top. Sprinkle with chopped or crushed toasted almonds; top with reserved lemon zest. Serve with pita and cucumbers for dipping.
- Extra dip can be store in the fridge for as long as a week.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Food Processor
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2020/07/10/raw-beet-dip-with-greek-yogurt/
Made with crunchy zebra-striped peeled cucumbers, sweet red onions, and a white balsamic vinaigrette, this salad is light, bright, and perfect for warm summer days. It is my go-to cucumber salad, and once you try it, you’ll understand why.
If you don’t have a go-to cucumber salad in your repertoire — or even if you do — you must give this recipe a try. It comes from Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons , one of my favorites, and with one bite, you’ll understand why: it’s crisp and cool, loaded with herbs, perfectly spicy with a nice acidic bite. It’s truly one of the best summer salad recipes I make.
Overall it’s a simple salad, but the key to success with this salad is following the method, which most critically calls for salting the cucumbers and letting them drain for 30 minutes before dressing.
This, I would argue, is the difference between making a good and a great cucumber salad, regardless of the seasonings you are using. As Alice Waters notes in Chez Panisse Vegetables :
“Cucumbers dressed in advance or used in a sauce may give up too much water and dilute the flavor of the dish. To avoid this, lightly salt the prepared cucumbers, let them sit in a strainer for 10 minutes, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel, and wring out the excess moisture.”
This salting step draws out the moisture of the cucumbers, priming them to receive the dressing, which in this case is a simple mix of white balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
In addition to salting the cucumbers, there’s one more step I encourage you not to skip, as I was inclined to: soaking the sliced scallions in ice water for 20 minutes. This step not only tempers their bite, but also makes them especially crisp.
I never mind the bite of a raw scallion, so the compelling reason for me to take this extra measure is for the crispness, or rather, the enduring crispness: scallions tend to get a little tired once dressed, but the ice water bath helps them retain their crispness, which is perhaps why this salad tastes so incredibly refreshing.
PS: Cucumber and Green Grape Gazpacho
PPS: Tzatziki (Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce)
Simple Cucumber Salad, Step by Step
Here’s the play-by-play: Gather cucumbers, scallions, and a red onion.
Peel the cucumbers zebra-style (for visual appeal), and scoop out the seeds.
Slice the cucumbers up into various shapes and sizes, again for visual appeal, if you wish.
Place them in a colander, sprinkle them with salt, and let stand 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice up some scallions.
Soak them in ice water for 20 minutes.
Drain and dry well.
Slice up some red onion.
Pick some mint.
Toss everything together with crushed red pepper flakes, fresh cracked pepper, and white balsamic vinegar (or other). Taste. Add salt to taste; then add olive oil.
Serve immediately.
So fresh. So good:
Description
Adapted from Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons , a favorite cookbook.
Made with crunchy, zebra-striped peeled cucumbers, sweet red onions and a white balsamic vinaigrette, this salad is light and bright, and perfect for warm summer days. It is my go-to cucumber salad, and once you try it you will understand why!
- 1 lb. cucumbers, any variety or varieties you like
- kosher salt
- 1 bunch (about 6 ) scallions, ends trimmed, sliced thinly on the bias, whites and green parts
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small handful mint leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or other), plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- freshly cracked black pepper
- flaky sea salt, for finishing, optional
- Peel the cucumbers: for visual appeal, peel the skin in alternating stripes. Trim the ends of the cucumbers, halve lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Slice the cucumbers into a variety of shapes, or simply slice thinly on the bias to create half moons. Place the cucumbers in a colander and toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Let sit for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes, blot dry in a tea towel.
- Meanwhile, place the scallions in a bowl and cover with ice water. Let stand 20 minutes. Drain and dry well in a tea towel.
- Combine the cucumbers, scallions, red onion, mint, crushed red pepper flakes, vinegar, and a few generous twists of black pepper in a bowl. Toss gently. Taste. Add flaky sea salt to taste. Add pepper, pepper flakes, and vinegar to taste. Once everything tastes, as Joshua McFadden says, “exciting and balanced”, add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Toss again. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Toss
- Cuisine: American
