Red Ranch Dip

Ranch dressing is the single most popular salad dressing in America — more than 100 million bottles are consumed every year.

Somewhere between a raita and a dip, I started making a homemade version years ago, followed by umpteen iterations. A golden ranch tinged with saffron or turmeric; a bright green one with mashed avocado and herbs. Here, I bring you a spicy hot ranch, tinged pink with beet juice. Use it as a dip to enjoy with crudities or add a little more yogurt or water to turn it into a salad dressing.

Makes 2 1/2 cups

ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup thick Greek-style yogurt

Juice of 2 lemons

1/4 cup beet juice

1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red chile flakes

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds for garnish

instructions

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise with yogurt, lemon juice, beet juice, cumin, chives, dill, cilantro, and salt. Transfer to a shallow serving bowl.

In a small frying pan, warm the olive oil and fry the minced garlic for a few seconds or just until it turns white. Turn the heat off and add the mustard seeds and red chile flakes. The oil should have turned red in color — stir and pour over the dip. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

notes & variations

• The beet juice is added purely for color; the flavor of beets is barely perceivable with the spices and herbs.

• This dressing will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

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