I made two incredible dips this summer: one was a satisfyingly salty, garlic-zinged feta dip, and the other a sweet and sticky date dip lifted by lemon but grounded by cumin.
The first was the perfect accompaniment to carrots, pita bread and even great when spread on sandwiches or dolloped on grilled chicken. The date dip was dreamy when served with salty crackers or piled on fresh, warm pita.
I served the dips at my sister’s bachelorette party, where they sat in Tupperware containers in a golf cart along with blueberry mint mojito mix, some pretty special Rice Krispie squares (recipe to come), and that white chocolate Pirate cookie popcorn I was telling you about. As we sauntered around the golf course, drinks in hand, it became quickly apparent that the food was infinitely more interesting than the golf to the majority of the party-goers, myself included.
My sister and I returned to her apartment after golfing and began to get ready to head out to dinner at that awesome tapas bar I was telling you about, when she took a piece of pita and dipped it in both dips and had a revelation (and a new dip recipe). Incidentally, the feta and date dips taste incredible together, and warrant a little mixy-mix to make a third great dip!
Delicious! Enjoy!
- 2 1/2 cups pitted, chopped dates
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp. lemon zest
- 2 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated and peeled
- 1 tsp. cumin
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. salt
- 8oz feta cheese
- 1 tbsp. lemon zest
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 6 tbsp. olive oil
- Place all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the dates begin to break down and turn into a nice mush - about 30 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool, and then blend in a food processor until smooth. Enjoy!
- Place the garlic in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
- Combine the two! Easy!
