Recipes

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Whipped Feta & Roasted Red Pepper Dip

This dip was the first thing that came to mind when I was contacted about trying Euphrates Feta cheese!

First, the cheese.  I’m sure you’ve all tried, and most of you love, Chobani Greek yogurt!  I know I do, and I was lucky enough to receive a whole box of it last winter to enjoy and try out in some baking!

Well, did you know before Chobani, its founder started a cheese company making some delicious feta!??  This was news to me, but I perked right up when I saw the word “FETA”.  Mmmm. 

So, when asked if I’d like to try some out to develop a recipe, I jumped at the chance!

Little did I know how much feta I’d have to work with ;)

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Not one, but TWO

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BLOCKS!!!  No joked, I weighed them….about 9lbs total!! 

Not that I’m complaining, but it just surprised me :)  In a good way.

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I have a few recipe ideas, but this is the first I’m sharing.

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but one of my all time favorite restaurants is was on Martha’s Vineyard, until we learned this summer that it had closed :(   Sad, sad day.  Well the restaurant, The Mediterranean, had my friend and I’s most favorite dish ever… The Whipped Feta Rouille

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We’d dream about it, and talk about it all year leading up to our trip. 

It was that dip which inspired me to try to re-create something with that same delicious flavor we loved so much. 

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Not going to lie, I cam REALLY close!  I know it’s not exactly the same, as I definitely did not have the “urfa” and “Maras” in the menu description, but it had that same great flavor and slight kick. 

Whipped Feta & Roasted Red Pepper Dip

  • 14 oz Feta Cheese
  • 7 oz jar of Roasted Red Peppers (drained)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • juice from half of a lemon
  • 3/4 cup chickpeas (canned)
  • 3 T bread crumbs
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
  • 1 tsp paprika (more for dusting)

Basically, you just combine all the ingredients into a food processor (or blender) and blend until smooth.  It will have a similar consistency to hummus. 

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Feel free to play around with the quantities to your liking.

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This also makes a lot of dip, about 3 cups.  I’d say a good amount to bring to a party, but if you’re just making it for home you might want to half the recipe. 

Serve at room temperature.  It will thicken a bit in the fridge, still good just thicker. 

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HEATED!  I tried heating a little serving for myself the other day.  10-15 seconds in the microwave…divine.  The feta gets all melty and delicious :) 

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I bet it would be delicious served as a baked dip!

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Enjoy!

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Now for the winner of the “Summer in a Box” giveaway…

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Elizabeth!!  Her response to staying organic this summer:

“Managing a farmers' market, it's pretty hard for me not to. ;) All the stuff looks fabulous! “

Congrats!  Email me your mailing info and I’ll have the package sent along to you! :)

10 comments:

  1. whoop whoop to all that feta! How fun! I can't wait to eat feta again! The dip sounds AMAZING. Glad you were able to get so close to the restaurants version.

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  2. I was immediately intrigued by the title because I love Oleana's whipped feta! Not sure if it has chickpeas also but it looks just like what you've made. Now I can enjoy it at home!

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  3. Yay!!! I was so psyched about this giving and really hoping I would win. You just made my day :) Emailing you now. Also, the whipped feta looks fabulous. I've had the one from Oleana, which is delicious.

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  4. holy feta! great recipe. everyone above is commenting on Oleana's version and I swear when i started reading this post that is what I was reminded of!

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  5. That's a lot of feta! I would definitely make a dip like this with it too. Have you tried Oleana's version? I bet you'd love it!

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  6. Mmm that dip looks so good... I love hummus and feta cheese so I am sure I'd love this too. I need to make ASAP!

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  7. Mmm, this is my kind of dip - sounds awesome!

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