I am a beet lover and fall and winter is THE time for beets! This is one of my absolute favourite appetizer recipes that I have ever made. Every time that I have served it I get asked to share the recipe. Labneh, one of the key ingredients in this recipe, is foreign to many people. It is a MUST in this recipe but can be a bit difficult to find. I get mine at the amazing Istanbul Food Mart at the corner of Katimavik Road and Davis Avenue in Kanata.
Comment below with your favourite places to shop for Middle Eastern ingredients in the city of Ottawa!
Ingredients
- 1 medium beet, or 1 bunch of small beets (about 1/2 pound), peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup whole walnuts, toasted, plus chopped walnuts for garnish
- 1 lemon, juiced, plus additional, for zesting and juicing
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 tsp chile flakes
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup labneh, for serving
- Torn pita, for serving
- 3 Persian cucumbers, quartered, for serving
Method:
- Put the beets, whole walnuts, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, chile flakes, garlic and salt into a food processor or blender. Puree on high until the beets and nuts are finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, blend again, until the mixture gets slightly smoother. Add the olive oil, and blend again, scraping down the sides, until mixture forms a coarse puree. Taste, and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and additional lemon juice, if desired.
- Spoon labneh into a bowl, smoothing it, then heap the beet dip on top. Top with a generous drizzle of olive oil and chopped walnuts; grate some lemon zest on top. Serve with pita and cucumbers for dipping.