A moutabel dip is a must on the Eastern Mediterranean mezze table. A traditional Syrian specialty, it was usually made with eggplant, but nowadays there are a variety of moutabels, such as beet, potato and zucchini.

Beet moutabel is not only delicious but a truly spectacular dish to look at because of its vibrant color.

Ingredients

• 5 medium beets (about 1 pound), scrubbed clean
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• finely chopped zest of 3 oranges
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Arrange the beets in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season and roast for about 1 hour, until tender. Let cool.

Meanwhile, scatter the orange zest in a small nonstick frying pan and toast over medium heat for about 1 minute. Let cool.

Peel the cooled beets. Grate half the beets on the finer holes of a box grater. Puree the other half in a food processor, but only roughly. This gives the moutabel more texture. Mix both beets in a bowl with the lemon, tahini and yogurt, and season.

Serve the moutabel topped with the toasted orange peel.