Feta dip + lemon + rosemary + honey + olive oil + garlic = my favorite dip! And it's ready in 10 minutes.
Summertime entertaining calls for easy recipes, and that includes appetizers. I first made this feta dip last summer to take to a pot luck. I needed something quick, but something with a little pizzazz, and threw some goat/sheet feta cheese in the blender along with some lemon, garlic paste and olive oil. It was good, but not particularly memorable.
After a few experiments, I landed on the combination of adding rosemary and honey, and bingo I had a dip I would want to make again and again. If you want a touch of heat, and sometimes I do, feel free to add a pinch of red pepper flakes just before serving. It adds a great little pizzazz.
It was a hit at the party, and one guest even said she disliked goat cheese, but loved this dip. The addition of the honey and rosemary takes a bit of the edge off that distinctive goat cheese flavor many find objectionable. Next time you have an appetizer to make, whip this one up. You may even have all the ingredients on hand right now.
Creamy Feta Dip with Lemon, Rosemary and Honey
Ingredients
- 7 ounces feta cheese about 1 cup crumbled
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon minced rosemary
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Pinch of red pepper flakes optional
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts optional
Instructions
- Place the feta, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil in a blender or food processor and pulse until fairly smooth. It’s dense, so you may need to stir it with a fork once or twice. Taste, and if it’s too salty add more lemon juice. If you want it smoother, add a little more olive oil.
- Spoon into a serving dish, drizzle with a little more oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of pepper flakes, pine nuts (if using) and some lemon zest.
- Serve with crudités, chips, toasts or pita crisps.
Rita
Love this! My kind of appetizer/munchy. And I've everything on hand (will skip the pine nuts; don't have those)
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Pine nuts are purely optional! It's become my go-to dip for parties lately. You can add a little salt if you must, but I found the goat-sheep feta was plenty salty.
Rosemary
Ditto to Rita's comment! It will be yummy with my Knackebrod crackers 🙂 http://getcookingsimply.com/really-simple-home-made-crackers/
The Wimpy Vegetarian
this would be PERFECT with your crackers!!! Thanks for adding the link!!!
Rosemary
And I love your photo Susan!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much, my friend!
Sheila
This is interesting and it looks perfect for afternoon snacks. Will try to grab some ingredients.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Rosemary (in the above comment) made it a couple weeks ago and loved it! Hope it works as well for you!!