Layered Beet Dip with Avocado Guacamole and Creamy Herb Topping
Spring is knocking at the door, which means that my local market is swapping its typical winter produce for a new crop of fruits and veggies! Along with warmer temperatures comes the first round of tomatoes, strawberries, chives, garlic and onion sprouts, avocados, green peas…just to mention a few.
Each year, I’m inspired to dedicate a recipe to this change in season, as a means of welcoming in the springtime and bidding farewell to winter. I feel especially grateful for this past winter, as it felt like a fresh start in so many ways.
So, in this year’s recipe, we are going to combine beets (to honor winter), and tomatoes (to welcome spring).
I’ll also include another favorite fruit of mine: Avocado! Our avocado season goes from winter to spring, making this an obvious must-have ingredient for the purposes of this recipe.
This dish is made up of three main ingredients with a little bit of this and that to highlight and balance all the flavors. Here is the recipe for a day like today that I want to share with you, my dearest reader.
Recipe
Note that it has 3 parts that we will serve it in layers:
- The guacamole – layer one
- The “salmorejo” is the blend of tomato and beet – layer two
- The herbs (cilantro or chives) & cream cheese – to top
INGREDIENTS ( 4 SERVES)
Salmorejo
- 1 pound of chopped “Roma” tomatoes
- 1 cup of chopped boiled beets
- 1/4 cup of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil. Variety: Arbequina)
- 1 tablespoon of sherry wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon of coarse sea salt (or to taste)
Guacamole
- 2 hass avocados
- juice of 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil. Variety: Arbequina)
- ¼ of minced red onion
- 2 teaspoon of coarse sea salt (or to taste)
Herb & cream cheese mixture:
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese (Philadelphia style)
- minced chives or cilantro
Utensils
- Food processor or hand emulsifier
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- 1 fork to smash the avocado
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula for mixing the guacamole and the cream cheese preparation
Preparation
Salmorejo
- Add the diced boiled beets and the diced tomatoes to the food processor and blend until finely pureed.
- Add the salt and the vinegar and blitz the mixture.
- Add the EVOO in a steady stream while emulsifying. Make sure you get a nice and dense emulsion.
- Refrigerate until chilled in the fridge – for a minimum of four hours.
Guacamole
- Cut in half and remove the pit of the avocados.
- Scoop out the avocado with the help of a spoon.
- Put the avocado into a bowl, add the lime juice and smash with a fork.
- Add some salt and mix again.
- Add the EVOO and mix well with the spatula until you get a smooth consistency.
- Add the minced red onion to your taste and mix again.
- Keep cold until you’re ready to eat.
Herbs & cream cheese mixture
- Mince the chives or the cilantro.
- Mix the herbs with the cream cheese.
- Keep it cold until you’re ready to eat.
Plating Up
To serve, I like using a martini glass to showcase the beautiful colors and different layers. Any nice glass dish will do though!
Serve the guacamole as the first layer in the glass. Then cover it with the salmorejo and finish with a dollop of herbs & cream cheese on top.
I like to sprinkle black salt as well, but this is up to you.
Now I am ready to start Spring 2023! What about you?
