Beet and sweet potato dip with pistachio bulgur sauce

Beet was not something Sami grew up eating. This dish, therefore, shows how the ingredients that bookend Sami’s palate—the ground cinnamon and allspice, the labneh and tangy feta, the bulgur and olive oil—can be used in a fresh way. The dip is lovely as it is, as part of a spread, or can be served as a side to an oily fish, like salmon or mackerel. Getting ahead: If you are making your own labneh, you’ll need to get this going at least 24 hours before serving. The dip keeps well in the fridge for up to three days. The sauce can be made up to a day before serving and kept in the fridge. As always, bring both elements back to room temperature before serving. Shortcut: The dip works well alone without the bulgur sauce, if you are keeping things simple. If you do this, just increase the pistachios to ¾ cup/100g. If you want the sauce to be gluten-free, use cooked quinoa instead of the bulgur.

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Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Step 2

Tightly wrap the beets and sweet potato individually in aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the middle of each beet and the potato goes in easily. Timing will vary, depending on the size of the beets. Remove from the oven and, once cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skins of both vegetables. You should end up with about 7 oz/200g of cooked sweet potato flesh and about 14 oz/400g of beet. Roughly chop the beets into large chunks and set aside.

Step 3

The sweet potato can stay as it is. Keep the two separate, until needed.

Step 4

Put the bulgur into a small saucepan with a lid, along with the water and ⅛ tsp of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from the heat.

Step 5

Set aside, covered, for about 20 minutes, then fluff the bulgur up with a fork. Tip into a bowl and set aside for about 20 minutes, to cool. Stir in the pistachios, parsley, mint, lemon juice, 3 tbsp of oil, ½ tsp of salt, and a grind of black pepper. Set aside until needed.

Step 6

Put 3 tbsp of oil into a small sauté pan and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, or until

Step 7

lightly browned. Add the spices, cook for another couple of seconds, stirring frequently, then remove from the heat. Set aside to cool slightly and then put into the bowl of a food processor. Add the beets, 1 tsp of salt, and a good grind of black pepper. Remove the date from its water, add to the food processor, and blitz the mixture for about 1 minute, or until smooth. Add the sweet potato and pulse for another 20 seconds, until just incorporated.

Step 8

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the cider vinegar and 3 tbsp/50g of labneh. Fold to combine—you still want to see some streaks of the labneh—then spread out on a large platter or in a shallow bowl. With the back of a spoon, smooth out the surface and make a well in the center.

Step 9

Top with the remaining 3 tbsp/50g of labneh, swirling it gently into the mix without incorporating it too much. Spoon on the bulgur sauce, top with the feta and additional mint leaves, drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp of oil, and serve.