Beet "Hummus"

Mea culpa - I know that using the word hummus here is wrong. There are no chickpeas here.

But all the other flavors, the garlic, tahini, cumin, coriander, and lemon are, and so I apologize, but am keeping the name as it is the closest thing that describes what is essentially a beet dip, but that didn't sound right either. It may feel spice heavy when you are reading the recipe, but beets are earthy in flavor and need a lot of spice before it registers!!

I deliberately did not add chickpeas because I didn't want to dilute the brilliant crimson of the beets. This is garlicky and fiery and I served it with drinks along with sunchoke chips and it was heavenly. But it was its very best when I dolloped it on to a flatbread, along with homemade falafel, lettuce and tomato and made a meal of it.

Makes about three cups.

3 large beets, roasted and peeled

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 cup coriander leaves, removed from the stalks

1/3 cup tahini

1 Tbsp preserved lemon paste (optional but adds a nice tang)

2 Tbsps olive oil (optional, just adds to the mouthfeel at the end)

1 Tbsp Harissa or your favorite hot sauce (start with a teaspoon and work your way up to your preferred spice level)

Juice of two lemons

2 tsps ground cumin

2 tsps ground sumac

1 tsp ground coriander

Salt to taste

Chop two of the beets roughly and place them and everything else in a blender. Blend blend until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. It should taste very garlicky.

Dice the remaining beet very finely and stir into the blended mixture. Let it sit for thirty minutes for the flavors to combine, before serving.