Middle Eastern Spiced Beetroot & Sweet Potato Dip

PREP TIME: 10mins

COOKING TIME: 60mins

I love Middle Eastern flavours and this recipe is a adaption from the wonderful book Falastin by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley. Beetroot & Sweet Potato (orange) is incredibly good for us, so think of this dip as double nutritious and made even more delectable with the mix of a warm spiced olive oil and some toasted pistachios. Vegan: Use coconut yogurt. Perfect to make ahead.

Serving Suggestion:

It would be lovely with some salty feta crumbled over. In the book they serve it with a pistachio bulgar wheat salsa. Serve alongside a mezze spread – think flatbreads, grilled halloumi, tabbouli or quinoa salad.

What you'll need:

Food Processor

Ingredients:

  • 500g raw beetroots, unpeeled
  • 3 small orange sweet potatoes, left whole and unpeeled (240g)*
  • 4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 soft medjool date, pitted
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 4/5 tablespoons of thick greek or coconut yogurt

Toppings:

  • few mint leaves and
  • feta crumbled
  • toasted pistachio

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 200c
  2. Individually wrap the whole beetroots very tightly in  baking paper (or foil) add them along with the whole (unwrapped) sweet potatoes on a baking sheet in the oven and roast until both the sweet potatoes and beetroots are soft. Probably 1hour for the beetroots and 40min for the sweet potato.
  3. Rub the skins of the beetroot and skin the sweet potato, set aside
  4. Heat the oil in a small frying pan on a medium heat, once hot add the garlic and cook for 2min until fragrant and slightly coloured and softened, add the spices and cook until fragrant – about 2min. Remove from the heat, let it cool for a few minutes.
  5. In a food processor, add the beetroot, warmed garlic & spices, medjool date and a good pinch of salt and pepper, whiz until smooth, about 1 minute.
  6. Add the sweet potato and pulse until just incorporated.
  7. Transfer the mixture to a pretty serving bowl, add the vinegar, stir, taste and season.(freeze if prefer)
  8.  Fold the yogurt through until streaks are visible.
  9. Top with your toppings of choice, drizzle with some olive oil and serve.

You can freeze the dip but omit the yogurt.

Kitchen Notes:

Apologies for stating what seems the obvious with my ‘orange’ sweet potatoes, but sweet potatoes are normally white in South Africa. Also called a ‘patat’ in Afrikaans they are closer to a yam than the sweet potato I became accustom to in the UK, but for a few months a year we can enjoy the orange (and healthier) variety.

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