Tag: dip

Smashed Broad Bean Spread

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4 snacking adults

This is a great spread. Use low fat feta and it’s plenty healthy too.

Subtle, mediterranean flavour – a dark horse amongst other more popular spreads if presented as part of a share plate.

Peeling broad beans is a little bit of a pain though just get on with it; the end result is more than worth it, served with toasted pita or other crackers.

Yumo.

Ingredients

200gm frozen broad beans
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
100 gm feta, crumbled
1 Tbsp mint leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Boil the beans for 2 minutes and then drain, refresh in cold water, and peel off the outer skins.
  2. Combine the beans, garlic and olive oil, smash to a rough puree, and then stir through the remaining ingredients.

Cucumber and Feta Dip

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 8 snacking guests

There is something special about arriving at someone’s house and being presented with a few homemade dips. It says something nice about your host and it tells you how they feel about you.

I’ve been making my own skinny hommus of late, though I really should get into the habit of making more and more dips; a few dips on hand and a box of chopped carrot sticks in the fridge would be all I needed to bridge the lunch to dinner gap and it would be far more interesting than a boiled egg or an apple!

This wonderful dip is courtesy of my mother. I made it over the weekend with low-fat feta and geez it’s good with brown rice crackers and a glass of wine before dinner.

Get on it! Make your guests feel special!

Ingredients

2 large Lebanese cucumbers, peeled, deseeded and finely diced
Salt and pepper
225gm feta, crumbled
1/8 + cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped mint

  1. Place the diced cucumber in a colander, sprinkle with salt, allow to drain for 30 + minutes, and then rinse and pat dry.
  2. Mash together the feta, olive oil, lemon juice, water and some pepper, and then mix in the cucumber, onion and herbs.

Coriander pesto

.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Serves: Plenty as a dip

Not much to say here except that rather than using this for a pasta, as a dip with crackers or bread, it is so moorish, it will be the first thing to disappear. And I can vouch that it is particularly kid friendly.

Start here for your next party,.

Ingredients

2 c coriander leaves
½ c pine nuts, toasted
½ c grated Parmesan
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ c extra virgin olive oil 

Method

  1. In a food processor, process together the coriander, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic and lemon juice and with the machine running, add the olive oil.