This is a great tasting dip, folks! Its taste is amplified because it contains roasted a roasted shallot, some roasted garlic, plus the juice of a grilled lemon.
Pulse a few beans in the food processor along with a host of flavorful Mediterranean ingredients and you get an extremely tasty, creamy and healthy dip!
- Healthy because the dip is low in fat compared to most other dips out there.
- Healthy because it's high in protein, calcium and fibre.
- Tasty!!!
- Spread the dip on toasted pita slices and you have an irresistible treat! A really, really delicious and healthy treat!
This recipe is fast to make. It took me about 20 minutes, and that included cleanup. Who doesn't love the dishwasher???
***Here is a tip about feta cheese and olives:
As these are salty ingredients we Greeks always rinse some of the brine from them.
For the feta cheese: just place the cheese into a bowl and pour water over it. Change the water once or twice, drain, and you're done. The feta will be significantly less salty. If for dietary reasons you want to remove lots of salt from the feta cheese, you can let it soak in water. Experiment with how much time is appropriate for your taste and dietary needs.
For the olives: they usually also need a good rinsing. Once the job is done, place them into a container and pour a combination of canola and olive oil over them. (Olive oil congeals in the refrigerator, so it must be mixed with another type of oil to keep it from solidifying). The oil should come almost but not quite halfway up the container. Cover, shake gently to coat all the olives and store in the refrigerator. This can be done with just about any type of olives except the sun-dried variety. Those don't get rinsed because they will absorb water and will no longer be sundried.
How to make white bean dip with feta cheese and olives:
Ingredients:
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans such as Great Northern
5 cloves of garlic, roasted and mashed
1 shallot, roasted and chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, save a few for garnish
the juice of one grilled lemon
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
8 ounces feta cheese
Directions:
- Cut the lemon in half, brush each half with olive oil and grill. This can be done on the stovetop.
- Drain and rinse the beans. Place them into the food processor and add the juice from the grilled lemon.
- Add the roasted garlic, the roasted shallot, olive oil, feta cheese, rosemary, oregano, parsley and black pepper—no need to add salt because the feta cheese and olives contain enough of it.
- Blend in the food processor until all the ingredients are smooth and creamy.
- Add the olives and walnuts. Pulse a few times until they're coarsely chopped. Small pieces of each should be visible in the dip.
- Place into a bowl and refrigerate for 4 to 5 hours. The dip is better if it gets a chance to rest. And really, aren't we all better when we get a chance to rest?
Take the dip out of the refrigerator and place it into a serving bowl. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top of the dip. Decorate with a few rosemary leaves, and serve with your favourite crackers.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!
