It was not the first Rosh Hashanah where I have hosted vegan-ish people with long lists of foods they stay away from, and by the end of the meal are eating everything on the table. I think it was the parsnip salt cod brandade, made with lactose-free whole milk, that broke the dam. By dessert, everyone wanted some of the cardamom panna cotta with winter citrus and the chocolate mousse bar. Other standouts included a quinoa and stone fruit salad with lots of fresh herbs, vegan oyster mushroom shawarma, and braised red cabbage.
And of course we had a whole course of dips because, as longtime readers know, I can’t help myself from eating dips at every meal. I followed a suggestion online to zhuzh up store-bought hummus by smoothing it out on a plate and topping it with extra virgin olive oil, silwan (date syrup), chopped dates, and fresh pomegranate.
I served that along with these two herby Georgian dips: one with beets and one with leeks, both with a walnut and garlic puree base. We ate it with slices of my husband’s massive round sourdough challah.
I had these dips a few weeks ago, on a solo trip to New York City. I visited museums, went thrifting on the Upper East Side, and saw the off-Broadway show Heathers, which hits very differently now that I have my own teens. And I ate all the delicious things I wanted to.
The restaurant version of these Georgian dips were too oniony for my palate. (I intentionally avoid onions and garlic, which irritate my stomach.) When I got home, I went to my bookshelves of cookbooks for a recipe to tweak. I found it in Darra Goldstein’s The Georgian Feast:
“Hallmark of Georgian cuisine is mkhali (or, colloquially, pkhahi), a vegetable puree to which herbs and ground walnuts are added. Mkhali is made from any number of different vegetables, though spinach and beets are favored. Some of the most interesting versions call for radish and even cauliflower greens. Try experimenting with greens from the garden that might otherwise go to waste.”
There’s no onion in Goldstein’s recipe, which is fine by me. The amount of garlic here worked for me, but adjust. As Goldstein writes:
“In making mkhali, you must rely on your palate, since the amount of vinegar necessary depends on the sugar content of each given vegetable. The puree should taste slightly sharp, but never vinegary.”
Beet Puree (Charkhlis Mkhali)
Serves 6
1 pound beets, unpeeled
One half cup shelled walnuts
3 garlic cloves, peeled
One half teaspoon salt
One half cup chopped cilantro
One half cup chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
One quarter ground coriander seed
1 to 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar (to taste)
To roast the beets, while I preheat the oven to 400F, I fill a lasagna pan with the beets and fill it about halfway up with water and then top with foil. I steam/roast them for about an hour and a half, until a fork gently slips in and out. This can be done up to 3 days in advance.
While the beets are cooking, in a food processor, grind together the walnuts, garlic, and salt. Add the cilantro and parsley and continue grinding to make a fine paste. Transfer to a bowl.
When the beets are soft, peel them and finely grate them directly into the walnut mixture, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Keep tasting, as the amount of vinegar needed will depend on the sweetness of the beets. The mkhali should be slightly tart.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but bring to room temperature before serving, mounded on a plate and cross-hatched on top with a knife.
For the leek mkhali, clean well 1 pound of leeks and cut off all but 2 inches of the green tops. Boil gently in salted water for 20 to 25 minutes, then drain and puree in the food processor. Follow directions for the beet mkhali, substituting 1 tablespoon minced dill for the coriander seed.
Molly Parr lives in Florence with her husband and two young daughters. She’s been writing her food blog, Cheap Beets, since 2010. Send questions or comments to molly.parr@gmail.com.
