Thick Yogurt With Beets, Garlic and Dill

Name: Thick Yogurt With Beets, Garlic and Dill
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Cuisine: mediterranean
Ingredients: 4 or 5 baby beets (about the size of a golf ball); or one full-size beet, peeled and quartered; 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice; Salt; 1 1/2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt, preferably Greek-style; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill; Black pepper

Recipe from Ana Sortun

Adapted by Julia Moskin

Thick Yogurt With Beets, Garlic and Dill — Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(151)
Comments: Read comments

Ana Sortun of Oleana restaurant, in Cambridge, Mass., created a menu based on the traditional cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean, especially Turkey and Greece, with many influences of spice and seasoning from the Arab world. She has created surprising but successful dishes like parsnip hummus; this beet-spiked tzatziki (the Mediterranean's traditional cucumber-yogurt-garlic salad), radish salads and rhubarb compotes. —Julia Moskin

Featured in: A Bazaar From the Hard Yankee Soil

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

4 or 5baby beets (about the size of a golf ball); or one full-size beet, peeled and quartered
1teaspoon minced garlic
2teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt
1½cups plain whole-milk yogurt, preferably Greek-style
1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Boil beets until tender, about 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle, rub skins off baby beets with a kitchen towel. Coarsely grate beets.
Step 2
In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in yogurt and olive oil, then beets and dill. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Chill until ready to serve.

Ratings

5 out of 5

151 user ratings

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Comments

Jeanie Cass7 years ago

I have made this several times. It's wonderful with lamb, chicken or pork dishes. Flavors are crisp and distinct, and the fresh dill is essential - forget the dried stuff. Last time I tried a little extra garlic. It's yummy both ways.

Bobby Bear7 years ago

I added more lemon juice and a pinch of red pepper (hot). Served with Melissa Clark's lamb chops with anchovy and capers. Also served with Sam Sifton's mock frites.

Simone5 years ago

Used 2 small and 1 medium beet, peeled, boiled, then threw into food processor with dill while still warm. Reduced yogurt to 1c. which was plenty. Served as a mezze platter with the kale tabouleh and labneh scallion/Chile NYT recipes and TJ’s garlic naan.

Kathy R6 days ago

I followed the recipe exactly and could eat the whole bowl myself! It makes a beautiful starter for company with cut up veggies. I used a box of cooked organic beets from Whole Foods and fresh dill from my garden. It is a perfect recipe!

JennNH20205 months ago

This is one of my all-time favorites. It's delicious and distinctive and beautiful. It's also very flexible--I use the beets I have and cook them in whatever way I want. Fresh dill is better but dried works, too. You can approximate all the measurements and adjust as needed--whatever you want. In some versions of this recipe, Sortun suggests letting the minced garlic sit in the lemon juice and salt for 10 minutes or so in order to take the edge off the garlic. That's a good tip for me.

Tobaleh2 years ago

I will add a pinch of grated lemon zest to this recipe.

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