BEETROOT DIP WITH SPICES

I live for Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons when I can indulge in dip and crackers and a nice glass of white wine. My friends and I used to gather on a weekly or fortnightly basis to spoil ourselves with these treats, but this ceased as we got busier and busier and time seemed to slip away. I hope that with writing this post I can put back into the universe that we reinstate these afternoons / evenings again. There is nothing tastier than homemade dip. Supermarket processed guacamole, hummus and tzatziki pale in comparison. I have wanted to make my own beetroot dip for a long time as being Russian beetroot is one of my major food groups. Adding the caraway seeds, cumin and coriander added a beautiful spicy quality. Caraway seeds taste similar to aniseed or fennel and have almost a liquorice flavour about them. You can use any spices you like for making beetroot dip, but lemon juice and yoghurt are a must. Try experimenting with ground fennel or fennel seeds, tarragon and/or black pepper.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large fresh beetroot, peeled & cut in half 
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 cup 99% fat free natural yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

COOKING 

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius and wrap the beetroot halves in foil. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until beetroot is tender (that is, you can slice the beetroot with a knife easily). Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes, then slice beetroot into small pieces.

2. Meanwhile, dry fry the caraway seeds and garlic in a small frying pan (That is, do not add any oil to the pan) for 2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant and seeds have darkened slightly in colour. 

3. Place beetroot pieces, caraway seeds, garlic, cumin, coriander, lemon juice and yoghurt in a blender or food processor. Blend/process ingredients until smooth and no lumps of beetroot remain (this should only take 30 seconds or so). 

Serve dip with crackers. 

Serve as a snack
Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 
Total Cooking time / 45 minutes 

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