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Puree of Beets with Roasted Carrots and Dukkah

Purée of Beets with Roasted Carrots and Dukkah (Duqqa)

Renée Robinson

A Glorious Combination of Color, Texture, and Flavors.

Well, there are a few things going on here that warrant an explanation. I’ll start with the dukkah first. It’s an Egyptian nut, seed, and herb blend that’s been around a very long time. It’s used as a dip for flatbreads, amongst other things. I love it and come up with my own blends, depending on how I’m using it. I wanted it for this dish because I felt some crunch and extra depth of flavor was needed.

I included coriander, cumin, and celery seeds, toasted hazelnuts, pine nuts, nigella seeds, toasted sesame seeds, dried oregano, turmeric, smoked paprika, sumac, and salt. You can add other nuts, seeds, and flavorings, but this is what I did this time around. It commonly contains toasted nuts, coriander and cumin, but varies widely in specific amounts and other additions. After briefly pulsing a couple of times in the food processor, the texture should remain chunky. You don’t want it finely ground.

Mixed Spices and Ingredients

I then roasted some beets and made a purée by adding tahini and lemon juice. A few ice cubes thrown into the processor made for a really beautiful consistency and the lemon juice sparked up the flavor of the roasted beets.

I tried a technique that was new to me for roasting the carrots. After tossing them with olive oil, a little garam masala, salt and pepper, I added a tablespoon of cornstarch before roasting them at 425°.

The cornstarch created a crispy crust on the outside of the carrots. I will use this technique again when I want my roasted veggies to have a nice crispiness. 

All of this came about because I had some extra beets and got to thinking about how I’d like something creamy made with them. From there, this recipe came into being. Needless to say, I was thrilled with how it looked. Those colors and textures really speak to me. All it needed was a drizzle of roasted hazelnut oil to bring all the flavors together. I’m a true believer that the appearance of our food directly contributes to our perception of its taste. This platter of food looked exciting.  

Beet Puree with Carrots

And it was exciting to eat. I served flatbreads with it so that I could use pieces of it to scoop up some of the puree. The garam masala was the perfect spice for the carrots. It served to deepen their flavor and added a beautiful aroma to the overall dish. Then the dukkah was the icing on the cake. I served more of it on the side so that everyone could add as much as they liked to their own serving. Personally, I liked a lot on mine.

Purée of Beets with Roasted Carrots and Dukkah (Duqqa)

Recipe by Renée Robinson
Servings

4 - 6

servings

Crisply crusted roasted carrots sit on a purée of roasted beets and tahini. Dukkah, a nut, seed, and spice blend is sprinkled on top, along with roasted hazelnut oil. Gorgeous to look at and irresistible to eat.

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Ingredients

  • Dukkah (Duqqa)
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

  • 1 teaspoon celery seeds

  • 1/4 cup (35g) chopped toasted hazelnuts

  • 1/4 cup (35g) toasted pine nuts

  • 1 tablespoon nigella seeds

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

  • 1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon sumac

  • 1/2 teaspoon Morton’s kosher salt.

  • Roasted Beet and Tahini Purée
  • 1 pound beets, scrubbed and trimmed

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons water

  • 1/2 cup tahini

  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 3 ice cubes

  • Kosher salt

  • Black pepper

  • Roasted Carrots
  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into 1 inch thick pieces

  • 4 teaspoons olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon garam masala

  • 1/2 teaspoon Morton’s kosher salt

  • Large pinch of black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

  • Finishing
  • 1 tablespoon roasted hazelnut oil

  • Small handful flat leaf parsley

Directions

  • Dukkah (Duqqa)
  • In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and celery seeds until they’re fragrant. Add the toasted seeds and all the remaining ingredients to the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the blade, and only pulse 3 or 4 times. You want the mixture to remain fairly chunky. Set aside.
  • Roasted Beet and Tahini Purée
  • Preheat oven to 400° with a rack in the center.
  • Place the beets on a sheet of foil, drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and add 2 tablespoons of water. Wrap tightly in the foil, place on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Set aside and let cool until they’re comfortable enough to handle. Using a paper towel, rub the skin off the beets.
  • Add the beets, tahini, lemon juice, ice cubes, a generous pinch of salt and black pepper to a food processor fitted with the blade. Process for a full 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl a couple of times. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
  • Roasted Carrots
  • Increase the temperature in the oven to 425°. Place the sliced carrots into a large bowl. Add 4 teaspoons olive oil, the garam masala, salt, and pepper. Stir well, making sure each carrot it coated well. Stir in the cornstarch and mix very well.
  • Place on a half sheet pan and roast for 25 minutes.
  • Finishing
  • Spoon the Roasted Beet Tahini Purée onto a platter. Top it with the Roasted Carrots, drizzle with the hazelnut oil, scatter with parsley leaves, and sprinkle on as much of the Dukkah as you’d like. Enjoy!

8 Responses

  1. This was a delicious and visually stunning combination of flavors and colors. I omitted the nuts from the dukkah, but still achieved some crunch and it was enjoyed as a New Year’s appetizer for my beet-loving mother. The next day I brought some to a friend and she has requested the recipe as well. Thanks for this idea!

    1. Thanks so much for this review, Lisa! Your rendition is beautiful and I’m thrilled your mother and friend like it, too!

  2. This looks delicious! And thank you for your dukkah recipe – I’ve been hesitant to buy pre-made dukkah as there is hardly any room left on my overflowing spice shelf.

    1. You’re so very welcome! And no, there is absolutely no need to buy dukkah. Every batch I made is different depending on how I intend to use it and what I have on hand. It’s great fun to experiment. Hope you enjoy it!

  3. What a spectacular dish! I will have to get some beets, but this will make an exciting side dish for my upcoming New Year’s dinner. I’m planning on a braised rabbit in mustard sauce, so I think I’ll add some saffron to that to enhance the color toward the yellow Spectrum. I planned on serving it over a bed of baby arugula, sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. So together, this should make some fireworks of a dinner. Happy new years, and many more cooking Adventures to come!

    1. Well, this should be an outstanding meal on all counts!!! I can’t wait to hear how you like my beet recipe. Happy New Year to You!

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