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A moutabel dip is a must on the Eastern Mediterranean mezze table. A traditional Syrian specialty, it was usually made with eggplant, but nowadays there are a variety of moutabels, such as beet, potato and zucchini.
Beet moutabel is not only delicious but a truly spectacular dish to look at because of its vibrant color.
Ingredients
5 medium beets (about 1 pound), scrubbed clean
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
finely chopped zest of 3 oranges
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Arrange the beets in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season and roast for about 1 hour, until tender. Let cool.
Meanwhile, scatter the orange zest in a small nonstick frying pan and toast over medium heat for about 1 minute. Let cool.
Peel the cooled beets. Grate half the beets on the finer holes of a box grater. Puree the other half in a food processor, but only roughly. This gives the moutabel more texture. Mix both beets in a bowl with the lemon, tahini and yogurt, and season.
Serve the moutabel topped with the toasted orange peel.
Reprinted from Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume: Cuisine of the Eastern Mediterranean by Silvena Rowe
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