I'm pulling another German recipe out of the hat for you guys! Chances are, unless you've lived in Germany, you have no idea that beet dip is a German food - right?! Who's heard of it? This post is to show you that there are all kinds of mysteries to German cuisine - it's so much more than just beer, pork, pretzels, and potatoes (though of course those are the cornerstones of German cuisine - mmmm). Germans do, in fact, eat a lot of vegetables. And they also eat a lot of vegetables that are not as common in other parts of the world, radishes, for example, and beets.
Lucky for me, I love beets. I love them best when they are roasted and all nutty and sweet, but this beet dip is my second favorite beet preparation. Plus, it's very, very pink (magenta even?) and that somehow just makes me happy.
Because Germans eat so many Brotzeit-style meals, they've incorporated quite a few dips and spreads into their cuisine. Obatzda (a Bavarian cheese dip that is most often served with pretzels or a Brotzeit platter) is one of the mainstays of the beer garden scene, but there are also several other equally delicious spreads to try. They are best slathered on a slice of thick, dark bread, eaten either for a light dinner or as part of a German-style breakfast. But if you are looking for more dips to eat with fresh veggies or even chips (pita chips perhaps?), give this a try.
Beet Dip
You can cook the beet for this dip in advance, if you don't have much time to prepare on the day-of. Beets take 45 minutes to an hour to boil, so the last time I made this, I cooked the beet the night before, and then in the morning I peeled the beet, chopped it up, and mixed up the dip.
1 cup (250 g) Frisch Käse (or a mixture of cream cheese and sour cream)
3 Tbsp milk (lowfat is fine)
2 tsp horseradish paste (or sauce)
1 red beet, cooked and peeled, cooled, then cubed
1 tsp walnut oil
salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste
Directions:
1. Mix together all of the above ingredients until everything is well-incorporated.
2. Season and taste until you have the right balance of salt, sweet, and spice. It will be a chunky, flavorful, bright pink dip that is particularly good smeared on some fresh-baked bread.
Lucky for me, I love beets. I love them best when they are roasted and all nutty and sweet, but this beet dip is my second favorite beet preparation. Plus, it's very, very pink (magenta even?) and that somehow just makes me happy.
Because Germans eat so many Brotzeit-style meals, they've incorporated quite a few dips and spreads into their cuisine. Obatzda (a Bavarian cheese dip that is most often served with pretzels or a Brotzeit platter) is one of the mainstays of the beer garden scene, but there are also several other equally delicious spreads to try. They are best slathered on a slice of thick, dark bread, eaten either for a light dinner or as part of a German-style breakfast. But if you are looking for more dips to eat with fresh veggies or even chips (pita chips perhaps?), give this a try.
Beet Dip
You can cook the beet for this dip in advance, if you don't have much time to prepare on the day-of. Beets take 45 minutes to an hour to boil, so the last time I made this, I cooked the beet the night before, and then in the morning I peeled the beet, chopped it up, and mixed up the dip.
1 cup (250 g) Frisch Käse (or a mixture of cream cheese and sour cream)
3 Tbsp milk (lowfat is fine)
2 tsp horseradish paste (or sauce)
1 red beet, cooked and peeled, cooled, then cubed
1 tsp walnut oil
salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste
Directions:
1. Mix together all of the above ingredients until everything is well-incorporated.
2. Season and taste until you have the right balance of salt, sweet, and spice. It will be a chunky, flavorful, bright pink dip that is particularly good smeared on some fresh-baked bread.