The first time I had celeriac “hummus” was in Habasta, an exquisite restaurant in Tel Aviv. I was surprised by the intense earthy flavor of the celery root. It blew my mind. I remember thinking out loud, I have to make this. Tomorrow!
Therefore, the next day I went to Shuk Hacarmel, bought a big bulb of celery root/celeriac, and made my own version. I steamed the root then processed it in the food processor with tahini and lemon juice – exactly how you would make hummus but instead of chickpeas you use celery root.
And since then this dish has become one of my signature dishes. That and topping my dips with mini salads, which was a way to kill two dishes with one plate. Whenever I have people over I make this and top it with some sort of vegetable salad. Whatever I have in hand.
The lima beans are there mostly for their protein. With lima beans the dip is a vegan main dish. Without it it’s an appetizer. If you don’t do legumes or don’t have any white bean you can make it without and serve it as a mezze or side. With or without, it’s delightful.
But whatever you do, don’t skip the lemon juice. This dip needs it like a baby needs her mother’s milk.
– My favorite cookbook this week is Nopalito: a Mexican Kitchen by Gonzalo Guzmán and Stacy Adimando.
Simple Lima Bean & Celeriac Dip
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 2 cups lima beans soaked in water overnight
- 1 cup chopped celery root - celeriac
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 or 2 ice cubes
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 sticks of celery - peeled
- Celery leaves - optional
- 1 small sweet pepper
- Olive oil
- Za’atar
Instructions
- Peel the lima beans and put them in a small saucepan with the celeriac. Cover them with water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the beans are tender, about 20 minutes.
- While the beans and celery root are cooling down, finely dice the celery sticks, celery leaves and pepper. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Put the lima beans and celery root in the food processor with the tahini, lemon juice and 1 ice cube. Process until smooth. If the dip is too thick add one more ice cube. Taste and add lemon juice if necessary. Plate the hummus and garnish nicely.
- Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the celery salad and sprinkle with za’atar. Serve with nice bread, crunchy veggies or crackers.
