Greek dips: Roasted Red Pepper Feta Dip, Hummus, & Tzatziki

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Greek dips: Roasted Red Pepper Feta Dip, Hummus, & Tzatziki

Great dips for any Mediterranean dinner! Also, look at the Eggplant Caviar recipe for a great addition! 

 Roasted Red Pepper Feta Dip: 

Ingredients: 

3 red peppers (store-bought roasted red peppers work as well) 

1 clove of garlic 

2 lemons 

1 Calabrian chili 

Olive oil 

16 oz feta 

Pepper 

Method:

On a grill or a gas burner char the red peppers entirely and place in a zip-top bag to steam. Once at room temperature, remove the skins and the seeds and stems and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Add your garlic, the zest of a lemon, and the Calabrian chili. Blitz until minced finely. Now add your feta cheese and the juice of two lemons and blurs again until almost smooth. You will need to add some olive oil, and the amount usually varies; it takes 1/4-1/2 a cup of olive oil. Begin with a few tablespoons added while the food processor is working and process until smooth. Add some fresh cracked pepper and serve with pita chips.

Hummus: 

Ingredients: 

1 16 oz can of chickpeas 

2-4 cloves of garlic 

2 Lemons 

1/2 cup tahini 

Olive oil 

Salt and pepper 

Method: 

In the bowl of the food processor, add your garlic and the juice of 1 lemon. (If you like garlic use more of you don’t use less or none at all.) Process until finely minced. Drain and rinse the chickpeas then add them to the food processor. Process until finely chopped. Now add your tahini, the juice of the other lemon, salt, and pepper. With the food processor running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream until a super smooth hummus has been created. Place in a bowl and drizzle a little more olive oil and sprinkle some smoked paprika and serve with pita chips! 

Tzatziki

Ingredients:

1 large cucumber 

1 bunch of mint 

3 cups good whole fat Greek yogurt 

2 cloves garlic 

1 lemon 

Salt and pepper 

Method: 

Grate the cucumber and place it into a tea towel that was placed in a strainer. Sprinkle with a tsp of salt and allow to sit for 5 min. In the meantime, finely mince 1 cups with of mint and place in a bowl. Mince the garlic and add it to the bowl. Add the Greek yogurt and stir to combine. Now using the towel compress the cucumbers to rid them of excess water. Once you remove as much water from them as you can, add them to the yogurt and stir to combine. Add the juice of a lemon and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pita chips!

Bonn Allen