Yield: approximately 4 cups

If you think you hate beets, that’s all about to change. If you actually like beets, this recipe will deepen your relationship with this most misunderstood of root vegetables. My stunning and addicting spread is perfect for a number of festive occasions or any regular day or night of the week. It is based on Muhammara, a Turkish spread typically made from red peppers and walnuts that happens to be on my “best seller” list. Here in Virginia Beach one of our favorite restaurants, Garrison’s, serves a beet and walnut spread that I find mesmerizing on their Mediterranean Plate. I wondered if I could come close to it by substituting raw red beets for the red peppers in my Muhammara recipe and playing around fairly significantly with the proportions of the other ingredients. The answer is a resounding “Yes!” My concoction is to die for and even prettier than its inspiration. If you’re thinking, “Beets? Ick.” Please think again. True confession: I am not a huge beet fan. I have tried to love them; really I have. But they can be tricky. I think they are lovely and appealingly earthy. And, while I have roasted them and really liked them–provided I used enough acid to dress them–for the most part, as my father would say, “I don’t wake up screaming for them.” That is until I tried Garrison’s spread and, now, my own version which is a bit different but dare I say it, maybe even better??? Thinking of substituting canned ones? Don’t do it! Have you ever read the label? They have NO nutrition nor, to my way of thinking, anything else to recommend them. Make this spread with raw ones and you will be a fan for life.