Recipe for beet lovers: beet dip and spiced bread

Last Saturday I surrendered control. Now, if you know me, you know this is not something that I do easily. I'm a control freak when it comes to many situations: I freely admit it. However, when my friend Wendy joined me in the kitchen last weekend (we made pistachio cookies and borscht together), I actually let her create two snack dishes all on her own. After all, she did go to the CIA and has quite a solid experience when it comes to mixing flavors together.

Wendy created a beet dip and a spiced bread completely on a whim: the only thing we picked up at the grocery store was the package of flat bread. Everything else she managed to find in my pantry and refrigerator.

Spiced Bread
Mix together about a tablespoon of each of the following: Merken Chile Mapuche spice, Marash Pepper Spice, Santo Domingo Pimenton de la Vera and three tablespoons of olive oil. Brush the mixture on the flat bread and bake in a 375 degree preheated oven until crisp. This bread packs quite a bit of heat! {I had all these spices from various recipes I've made for Robyn Webb.}

Beet dip
Roast four small beets drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper in a 375F preheated oven wrapped in aluminum foil for about 35-40 minutes. Rub off the skin. In a food processor, add the beets, 2 tablespoons pomegranate concentrate, 2 teaspoons Moroccan dulcet mustard, 1 teaspoon sour cream, salt and pepper, and a small hand full of walnuts. Puree till smooth.

I'll admit that the beet dip did not look incredibly pretty. But it tasted oh so awesome, and I kept on thinking: it reminds of something. You know what that something was? Charoset! Beets have a similar sweetness and texture as apples, and then you have the nuts! In fact, I think this dip would be a fun dish to add to the next Passover menu.

How do you feel about surrendering control in the kitchen? Do you cook well with others? Or is the kitchen your own kingdom?

What's cooking this weekend? I'm planning on christening my new ice cream maker (thank you, Erica), possibly making a savory oatmeal breakfast, and turning one of Domenica's pasta sauces into a breakfast dish. And then of course there are two dishes to make for Robyn. BUSY!

And I'll be teaching yet another knife skills class tomorrow!

And because this weekend is Father's Day, Happy Father's day to my dad! In this photo I'm on the left and Anna is on the right. God, I still remember those tshirts: they were bright yellow with black hearts on them that said Fiata {no clue what that meant}...or something like that. And those checkerboard skirts? Our mom sewed them...wish I had a color version of this photo.

LOVE.

Thanks, papa, for setting such a great example of what a good man should be. Of course, you also set the standards really high!!! Oy.

Not in the photo: our brother Misha who was born 9 years after Anna and I. And I'm guessing the photo was taken by our mom.

and a few years back: I'm still on the left: