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In praise of small bites. Ottolenghi Pureed Beetroot with Yoghurt and Za’atar



We all love tapas or mezze or indeed the lovely cicchetti of Russell Norman's Polpo. If you read my blog you will know that I have been rather obsessed with cooking Morito recipes over the past few days but there are also some wonderful little bites in Ottolenghi's Jerusalem and indeed the excellent Polpo book.

We love lunches and dinners made up of these little dishes and I don't think that's just because the layout of our kitchen makes it look like a tapas bar.Most people seem to love the opportunity to graze on a variety of different flavours from salty to sour, soft to crispy, meaty to veggy not forgetting of course the very,very fishy joys of the oft featured but much maligned anchovy.

I have to confess that his beetroot recipe from Ottolenghi should have goat cheese crumbled on top but I'm afraid that just isn't my bag.

Serve with some great bread or even better some lovely freshly made flatbreads 

Ingredients

6 medium cooked beetroot from waitrose veg section
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
1 small red chilli, seeded and minced
250g plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon Za’atar
Salt
Handful roasted, crushed hazelnuts

Method


cut the beets into wedges and transfer to a food processor. Add the garlic, chile and yogurt and pulse until blended. Add the olive oil, maple syrup and za’atar and puree. Season with salt. Scrape into a wide, shallow bowl. Scatter the hazelnuts, (and goat cheese if you must) and spring onions on top and serve with bread.
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