PINK AND GOLD BEET DIP WITH PINE NUTS

Serves: 8

■ 3 medium-sized red beets

■ 3 medium-sized yellow beets

■ 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) turmeric

■ 4 cloves garlic, divided

■ 1 cup (250 ml) greek yogurt, divided

■ 1 cup (250 ml) tahini, divided

■ 2 tsp (10 ml) salt, divided

■ 2 tsp (10 ml) ground cumin, divided

■ 2 tsp (10 ml) ground coriander, divided

■ 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice, divided

Garnish:

■ 1/3 cup (80 ml) pine nuts, toasted and chopped

■ 1/4 bunch chives, finely chopped

■ 1 tbsp (15 ml) za'atar

■ 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F (205 C). Wrap the red beets in a tight foil packet and wrap the yellow beets in a separate foil packet. Try to find beets of similar size so that they cook in the same amount of time and keep the yellow beets separate from the red ones to preserve their contrasting colour.

2. Roast on a baking sheet for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until very tender. Remove the beets from the oven, unwrap them from the foil packets and peel while still warm. Chop the peeled beets, reserving 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the yellow beets for garnish.

3. Purée the yellow beet dip first. Place the peeled and chopped yellow beets in the food processor and add the turmeric.

Then add 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the yogurt, 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the tahini, 1 tsp (5 ml) each of salt, cumin and coriander and 1 tbsp (15 ml) of lemon juice. Purée until very smooth. Transfer to a bowl.

4. Repeat with the red beets. Add them to the food processor along with the remaining garlic, yogurt, tahini, salt, cumin, coriander and lemon juice. Blend until very smooth.

5. To plate, place a dollop of the yellow beet dip on the bottom of your serving bowl. Top with some of the red beet dip, then artfully draw swirls through the whole thing with an offset spatula or the tip of a knife. Creatively add more dollops of the contrasting colours to create a unique look.

6. To finish, top with the pine nuts, chives, za'atar, olive oil and the leftover yellow beets. Most importantly, post a picture of all this hard work on Instagram before you dig in.