Here is a simple, easy recipe from one of the stars of the show from my Passover seder: a spicy dip with beet and skyr. This dip was inspired by two things: an all-consuming love for beets, and a spicy habanero skyr that my partner and I tried in Iceland. Beets, as it happens, are a common addition to the seder table, as their red color symbolizes the Passover sacrifice of long ago.
Skyr is interesting to work with – partly because it is lower in fat than yogurt, which it resembles. To make this dip richer – and to help it carry the spice and the flavor of the beet – I added a touch of olive oil, which also makes the dip simultaneously smoother but also even more likely to color anything it touches. Don’t wear white when eating this!
Spicy Beet Skyr Dip
1 large or 2 small cooked beets, peeled (You can use the pre-packaged cooked ones from the supermarket)
¼ cup lemon juice (from one large lemon)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sambal oelek or minced chilies
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups plain skyr
Pine nuts, for garnish
- In a food processor, blend the beet, lemon juice, salt, sambal oelek, and olive oil until a consistent puree. (You may need to chop the beet into smaller pieces for your food processor.)
- Add the skyr and blend in pulses until uniformly mixed into the beet mixture.
- Taste and add more salt or sambal oelek to taste.
- Pour into a bowl and garnish with pine nuts. Store covered, refrigerated, for up to 5 days.
Thank you to David Ouziel, Maryam Sabbaghi, Zachary Maher, AJ Faust, and Douglas Graebner for participating in User Acceptance Testing.
