Roasted Root Vegetable Dip
“Oh gosh,” you might be thinking, “not another hummus recipe.” Well, I love hummus. It’s the most delicious and quick answer to “what do I have to eat in the fridge?” Plus, it’s a great way to use all those gorgeous vegetables you get weekly in your community support box. Just clean and cut all those beautiful crunchy veggies and arrange them on a pretty platter with this easy-to-make root vegetable spread. I like to serve this warm with a generous drizzle of very good olive oil.
Sesame Tahini Paste
You can make homemade tahini from any hulled or unhulled, raw, sprouted, or toasted sesame seeds. Toasting the seeds, enhances the nutty flavor and adds a nice roasted essence to your recipe. Use this sesame paste to make tahini sauce, tahini dressing, or add to recipes calling for sesame tahini.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds root vegetables for roasting (e.g. turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, carrots, celery root or sweet potatoes), scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2—3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large shallot, peeled
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 whole lemons, juiced
- ¼ quarter cup Sesame Tahini Paste*
- 2—4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup sesame seeds of choice
- 2—4 tablespoons mild olive or grapeseed oil
- Salt to taste (optional)
Preparation
Roasted Root Vegetable Dip
Makes about 3 cups
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Toss vegetables in olive oil with the shallot and garlic. Season well with salt and pepper and place onto 2 lightly oiled baking sheets. Roast for approximately 35—45 minutes, flipping the vegetables once during roasting. When roots are caramelized and tender, remove from oven and cool slightly.
Place half of the roasted vegetables in a food processor with juice of 1 lemon, half of the tahini paste and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and a few tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a bowl and set aside. Repeat with second half of ingredients and combine the batches.
Serve this hummus, warm or slightly chilled as you prefer, with fresh-cut raw vegetables. The hummus will hold up to 3 days in the fridge, if you don’t eat it all the first day.
Sesame Tahini Paste
Makes 1 cup
Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer seeds to a large tray to cool.
Grind toasted sesame seeds in a food processor fitted with the S-blade (or use a mortar and pestle or masticating juicer). Process for 2—3 minutes to form a crumbly paste. Add oil, starting with 2 tablespoons, and process for 1—2 minutes, scraping down, until you have a fairly smooth paste. Thin by adding 1—2 tablespoons oil at a time, and processing until you reach the desired consistency. Stir in salt to taste, and then refridgerate the tahini in a glass jar or other airtight container for up to 1 month.
About this recipe
Chef Notes:
Choose a single hue of vegetables for this dip, adding veggies such as carrots with some sun-dried tomatoes or sweet potatoes or squash for a dazzling orange dip. Beets will make a vivid magenta dip, but when using beets, make sure to roast them on a separate tray and blend them separately. Be creative with your versions!
*Tahini paste can be found in the nut butter section of most grocery stores but can also be made at home fairly easily.
