Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1085429
FOOD 12 | SUNDAY • 24 FEBRUARY 2019 maltatoday • 2 carrots • 2 beetroots • 3 sprigs thyme • 2tbsp tahini • 150ml Greek yoghurt • 100g feta cheese • 1tbsp honey • ½ a clove garlic • Zest and juice of ½ orange • Juice of ½ a small lemon • ½ handful fresh coriander • 2tsp ground coriander • 2tsp ground cumin • 4 rounds pita bread • Olive oil • Salt Method The carrot dip 1. Put a small pot of water on to boil and add a good pinch of salt. Peel the carrots and chop into small cubes. Boil until very soft, strain and allow to cool. 2. In a small bowl combine one teaspoon of tahini, a good drizzle of olive oil, 1 teaspoon ground coriander and cumin, the fresh coriander, the orange juice, zest and carrots. Use a hand held blender or mixer to combine everything to a smooth consistency. Season with salt as needed. The beetroot dip 3. Peel the beetroot and chop into rough chunks, place on foil, season with salt, add the sprigs of thyme and a good drizzle of olive oil. Wrap into a parcel and place in the oven at 190 C for an hour or until very tender. 4. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining tahini, garlic, lemon, honey, a tablespoon of the yoghurt and roast beetroot and a little olive oil. Use the hand held blender again to blend till a dipping consistency. The yogurt and feta dip 5. Combine the remaining yoghurt and the feta cheese and mix with a fork until smooth. 6. Cut the pita into small triangles, season with salt, a good drizzle of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the ground coriander and ground cumin. Toss to coat and bake in the oven until crispy and golden brown. 7. To plate, start with a circle of the carrot dip on the outside rim of the plate, follow with a circle of the beetroot and fill the centre with the yoghurt and feta dip. Serve with the crispy pita chips. Private chef as well as Chef at Gourmet Today and at Mediterranean Culinary Academy Trio of dips CHARLES GRECH Bin 2 Shiraz Mataro 2014 Penfolds, Australia Bin 2 Shiraz Mataro is a classic Penfolds wine, steeped in nineteenth-century tradition. Typically it is a generous medium-bodied wine based on shiraz, but shot with the aromatics and muscular strength of mataro. It's best to drink early, but like many of Penfolds reds can last the distance in the cellar. Bouquet: Scents of black olive and dark black cherry laced with mixed spices/herbs, Dark chocolate notes and a skerrick of liquorice. Palate: Mataro's green tea-leaf characters immediately apparent, as is Mataro's inky/ rubbly palate imprint. Grainy/particulate/powdery tannins throughout. Ditto, barely perceptible oak (some vanillin, crushed biscotti f lavours). Evocative Shiraz fruits and savouriness dominate the mid-palate. Refreshingly medium-bodied, enticingly textured. Food Affinities: veal, roast chicken, planked salmon. Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co Ltd Valley Road, Birkikara T: 21 444 400 Fine quality Italian wines of tradition Irpina. Donnachiara, winery located in Montefalcione (Avellino), with its vineyards that stretch along the hills typical of the Irpinia, produces white wines and red wines of high quality including Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino, Taurasi DOCG but also sparkling like Santè Falanghina. Soft crushing of the selected grapes and after that cold decanting of the must fermentation at 57-60°F in steel vats for 15 days. Malolatic fermentation is not done. Full expression of it's territory, the heart of Greco di tufo, with a specific attention to all the factors of maturation of it's aroma's. Nose: Offers fruity flavours of pear, apricot, pineapple and citrus Palate: Smooth, elegant and structured, with good freshness and a great persistence that confirms and amplifies the olfactory sensations. Food Affinities: Perfect with all seafood, pasta with light sauces , white meats and herb cheeses Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 Donnachiara Greco di Tufo: DONNACHIARA Keep it simple but impressive with this trio of dips; carrots, beetroot and feta cheese dips served with crispy pita Debbie Schembri Ingredients The recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, February 2019