Spring calls for vibrant food and parties (even for one) that celebrate the return of buds and petals and the leafing-out of trees. Enter vividly celebratory beet hummus, on a petal platter reeling with beets and garlic and chickpeas and extra virgin olive oil. Adding edible flowers is an easy and instant way of infusing this simple dish with the joy of spring. Vivid tulip petals are edible—gently crisp at the base and delicate towards the tip. Their flavor is very mild, although scented tulips do carry a suggestion of their perfume into whatever salad or party plate you are creating.

This beet hummus is simple to prepare and can be served in a multitude of ways (don’t worry, I offer just two), and the vegan dip appeals to everyone.

Photography by Marie Viljoen.

Serving ruby-hued beet hummus with scarlet tulip petals and the pinks, reds, and burgundies of a flock of early-season chicories is unapologetically flamboyant.

Snipping tulip flowers at their base separates all the petals neatly and makes it easy to remove their stamens and pistils—these are bitter and not good to eat.

Beet Hummus for a Petal Party Platter

For this beet hummus recipe I like to use raw as well as cooked beets, getting the best nutrition out of both versions. Leaving the skin on the root vegetables adds more fiber, as well as a flavor that is earthier than their sweet interior. It works very well with the chickpeas. And if boiling a single beet seems reckless, you could cook a batch and use the remainder for a different salad (they are delicious—soused while warm—in salted balsamic vinegar) or borscht. If you don’t have sumac, add another tablespoonful of lemon juice.

Hummus

• 2 small beets, halved
• 1 can chickpeas, well rinsed
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice ( about 1 ½ lemons)
• 3 Tablespoons tahini
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1 Tablespoon sumac
• ½ teaspoon salt

To Serve

• Petals from 4 tulips
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 2 teaspoons sumac
• 4 handfuls various chicory (radicchio) leaves, washed and dried

Beets: In a small pot, cover one of the beets with water, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Cook until until the beet is tender when pierced with a sharp knife—around 10 minutes. Slice the beet.

Microplane or grate the second beet and set aside.

Hummus: In a food processor, combine all the ingredients except the water and tahini. Pulse until you have a rough mash. Thin the tahini in a small bowl with the water, then add this slurry slowly to the food processor while the blades are running. Scrape down the sides a few times and continue to spin until you have a creamy paste. Taste the hummus. You may need more salt. Pulse again if you add additional salt.

To serve: Spread the dip across a dinner plate and surround it with tulip petals. Drizzle the oil across it and scatter the pine nuts over the hummus.

Or heap the beet hummus in a bowl, shower it with sumac, and place the bowl on larger platter where you arrange a heap of beautiful spring chicory leaves and tulip petals. (Of course, you could also add your own selection of crudités, like carrot and beet batons, and celery sticks.)

See also:

• 11 Favorites: Edible Flowers of Spring
• Spring on a Plate: Tulip Petals for an Exquisitely Pretty Snack
• Weeds You Can Eat: Japanese Knotweed Hummus