Beet Hummus for a Petal Party Platter

For this beet hummus recipe I like to use raw as well as cooked beets, getting the best nutrition out of both versions. Leaving the skin on the beets adds more fiber, as well as a flavor that is earthier than their sweet interior. It works very well with the chickpeas. And if boiling a single beet seems reckless, you could cook a batch of beets and use the remainder for a different salad (they are delicious, soused while warm in salted balsamic vinegar) or borscht. If you don’t have sumac, add another tablespoonful of lemon juice.

Hummus

• 2 small beets halved
• 1 can chickpeas, well rinsed
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice ( about 1 ½ lemons)
• 1 Tablespoon sumac
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons tahini
• 1/3 cup cold water

To Serve

• Petals from 4 tulips
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 2 teaspoons sumac
• 4 handfuls various chicory (radicchio) leaves, washed and dried

Beets: In a small pot, cover one of the beets with water, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Cook until until the beet is tender when pierced with a sharp knife—around 10 minutes. Slice the beet.

Microplane or grate the second beet and set aside.

Hummus: In a food processor, combine all the ingredients except the water. Pulse until you have a rough mash. Now continue to run the blades while pouring the water into the bowl slowly (alternatively, you could thin the tahini in a small bowl with the water before adding this slurry to the food processor). Scrape down the sides a few times and continue to spin until you have a creamy paste. Now taste the hummus. You may need more salt. Pulse again if you add additional salt.

To serve: Spread the dip across a dinner plate and surround it with tulip petals. Drizzle the oil across it and scatter the pine nuts over the hummus.

Or heap the beet hummus in a bowl, shower with sumac, and place the bowl on larger platter where you arrange a heap of beautiful spring chicory leaves and tulip petals. (Of course, you could also add your own selection of crudités, like carrot and beet batons, and celery sticks.)

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