LEMON AND FETA CHEESE DIP
Hi there!
If you’ve been following along this week you know that I recently hosted a birthday dinner party ……
at which I served a delicious Lemon and Feta Cheese Dip.
This recipe has been slightly modified from one I got from a favorite website called Sweet Paul. The week of my party I had received some delicious fresh and crispy carrots and Daikon radishes in my CSA farm delivery.
So, I decided they would be great as crudités to serve in the bar alongside a Lemon and Feta Cheese Dip as a light appetizer before dinner.
I also thought this would make a nice accompaniment to the Spanish Style Rosemary Gin Fizzes I served that night.
For the bowl of crudités I sliced the carrots and radishes leaving their stems on for additional color and added some sliced cucumber as well.
When I go to all the work to prepare a special dinner, I try to serve a light appetizer so my guests have room for the main course.
I did not take a lot of photos when I prepared this dip so there’s no photo tutorial this time. However, the recipe is super quick and simple to make.
I like to use this Athenos brand traditional crumbled feta cheese because it comes in a large, 12 ounce size. For this recipe you will need 8 ounces of crumbled feta, roughly 2/3rds of this container.
You will also need 1 tablespoon of lemon zest……
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice……
1 clove of minced fresh garlic ……
and 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil (not pictured). Place the feta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, minced garlic and olive oil into a blender and process until smooth and creamy. At this point add some fresh ground pepper to taste and give it one more whirl of the blender to combine. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the Lemon and Feta Cheese Dip into a pretty serving bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Garnish with fresh herbs. Sweet Paul garnishes his dip with fresh thyme or red pepper flakes. Since my party had a fresh rosemary theme going on, I garnished my dip with fresh rosemary.
Sweet Paul suggests you serve this dip with pita chips that have been drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and minced thyme. I served mine with fresh vegetables.
So there you have it: Lemon and Feta Cheese Dip. Stay tuned and tomorrow I’ll be sharing another recipe from the birthday celebration: A Farm to Table Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts.
ENJOY!
- 8 Ounces Crumbled Feta Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 Clove Garlic, Minced
- ½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil Plus 2 T. More For Garnish
- Fresh Ground Pepper To Taste
- Fresh Rosemary or Thyme for Garnish
- Place the feta, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil into a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Add freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Transfer into a serving bowl and drizzle with 2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Garnish with fresh rosemary or thyme.
- Serve with assorted vegetable crudites and pita chips.
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