Who doesn't love hot pink hummus with a kick? Aromatic and citrusy Za'atar is typically used on flatbreads, so we paired it with a bright, beautiful (and healthy) dip, roasted beet hummus. To amp up the Middle Eastern flavor, we drizzled urfa infused olive oil over the hummus too. Urfa is a Turkish chile pepper with medium heat and a rich chocolate flavor. This is a fabulous crowd-pleasing appetizer that is simple to make and unique enough to stand out.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
Urfa Infused Olive Oil:
- 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon SKORDO Urfa Chile Flakes
Beet Hummus:
- 2 small roasted beets
- 1 15 oz can cooked chickpeas, mostly drained
- 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 pinch of salt and pepper
- 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 heaping tablespoons of Tahini
PREPARATION:
- Place olive oil in a small pot on low. Add Urfa flakes to oil. Let gently warm 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool.
- Put pre-roasted and peeled beets in the food processor. Blend until only small bits remain.
- Add remaining ingredients except for olive oil. Blend until smooth.
- Once infused oil has cooled, gradually drizzle in 1/4 cup of the infused olive oil as the hummus is mixing. Save 2 tablespoons of oil as garnish.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Adding salt, lemon juice or olive oil as needed. If too thick, thin with water.
- Place hummus in a serving bowl. Drizzle with remaining infused oil.
- Serve with Syrian Za'atar Flatbread. Hummus will keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
Syrian Za'atar Flatbread
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 package of Flatbread (such as StoneFire)
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon SKORDO Syrian Za'atar
PREPARATION:
- Preheat broiler on low.
- Place flatbread on a baking sheet.
- Broil flatbread on top rack of the oven on low, until light golden brown.
- Remove from oven. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Syrian Za'atar.
- Remove bread from pan onto a cutting board. Cut into triangles.
- Serve with Beet Hummus.
Comments
I had beet hummus at a vineyard in Texas, and this recipe is as close an approximation to it as I can find. I have a Lebanese friend who always urges me to undertake the incredibly tedious task of skinning my garbanzo beans when I make hummus, so I did, and boy let me tell you it was worth the extra time. This hummus was deliciously smooth, similar to what I’ve had in the Middle East. And because I had skinned those beans, I wasn’t about to take the time or expense of specially buying Urfa chili flakes to make the oil. I just used a jarred harissa plus olive oil. If you go this route, a heaping tablespoon of harissa is plenty for me, but if you like it spicier, go for more. The end product was absolutely beautiful, very tasty, and I’ll be making it again and again. The flatbread is pretty good too. For the record, I normally hate beets, but I love this!