I'm Back! With Spinach & Ricotta Dip

It has been 20 long months since I posted on the Baker & the Curry Maker and a lot has happened in that time! I have a perfect new man, a funky new home, a new exciting job and a brave new hairstyle plus a few new gorgeous friends. I've been itching to get back into the blogging lately. I almost made it back last weekend with a lemon slice but I was staying at my parents place in Clare and didn't have my camera. And so this is my returning recipe.... Spinach and Ricotta Dip.

I've had this at morning teas at work a few times and I actually get frustrated when staff bring it along. I want to pick it up and take it back to my desk where I can devour it all myself. This week another pesky staff member brought it in and I decided to make one all of my own today so I can sit in the comfort of my lounge room and inhale it. I so badly didn't want to share with my boyfriend that I made him one all of his own also!

It's simple and always a hit!

300g Ricotta
500g Frozen chopped spinach
100g Danish Feta
300g Sour Cream
1/3 cup chopped chives
30g Spring Vegetable Soup Mix
Freshly Ground Pepper
Cob bread

Squeeze and discard all liquid from thawed spinach. Place into a large bowl. Add ricotta, feta and sour cream. Stir until well combined and smooth. Add chives and dried soup. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Mix until well combined.

Using a serrated knife, slice a 3 to 4cm-thick slice off top of loaf. Set aside. Remove soft white bread from centre of loaf to form a bread 'bowl' and use this to scoop out the dip. Spoon spinach and ricotta mixture into loaf. Serve immediately.

E.

Cucumber & Feta Dip

I've mentioned several other food bloggers on here, I think, many of them I admire and enjoy reading and seeing what they're up to. David Lebovitz is an amazing blogger, writer and chef who lives in Paris and keeps me regularly entertained with all sorts of interesting recipes and tales. A recipe he recently blogged about caught my eye, I printed it out and made it the next day for a big family lunch to celebrate my sister being in Adelaide for the weekend.

Now, David mentions how fantastic the cucumber & feta dip below is, and I was expecting a lot as all the ingredient are up there in my favourites list but you should have seen everyone wolf this dip down! It was sensational. I will be making this again and again!

I served Joanne Weir's cucumber and feta dip with triangles of pita bread brushed with olive oil and paprika and crisped them under the grill for a few minutes.

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced into pea-sized pieces
coarse salt
8 ounces (225g) feta cheese (see Note)
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
2-3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, peeled and finely-diced
1 tablespoon (each) chopped fresh mint, parsley and fresh dill

Place the cucumber pieces in a colander, mix with a light sprinkling salt, and let drain 30 minutes to an hour, shaking the colander from time to time.

Crumble the feta into a bowl and mash together with the olive oil, lemon juice, water, and a few turns of black pepper.

Mix in the cucumbers, onions, and herbs. Taste, and add more salt if desired.

Sathya-rating *****

Baba ganoush

I don't like eggplants/aubergine. Nope, don't like it. Won't order it, cook it, serve myself some. For some reason this is changing. Its funny how things change. Everything does really, well, I think it does anyway. My tastebuds are ever changing and eggplant is one of the last things to cross the line. I made this eggplant curry a couple of months ago and loved it and now baba ganoush has come along. I love it. And, I love the eggplant curry. Does that mean I now like eggplant? Nah, I don't think so.

This is what came up when I typed baba ganoush in Google and its easy and delicious.

1 large eggplant baked then peeled
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup of tahini
blend in blender or
mix with mortar
mint or parsley for garnish
olive oil/cayenne pepper to top

Roast the eggplant for one hour in a hot even and then place a plastic bag to cool, then you can peel and remove top, place in a bowl. Add garlic, lemon juice and tahini paste, blend in a blender or with a mortar. Spread onto a deep plate and garnish with parsley or mint and top with olive oil and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or paprika.

Serve with turkish bread, crackers or pita breads fresh or toasted under the grill with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

Sathya-rating ****

Taste & Create: Borani (spinach, feta & yogurt dip)

I have noticed the festivities of Taste and Create around the traps but have never managed to join in time until this latest one. Taste and Create is a blogging event which a terrific event created by Nicole over at For the Love of Food Each blogger is paired up with a fellow food blogger and you each make something from each other's blog.

I was partnered with We [Heart] Food which is a lovely blog by Chris and Lisa in Seattle. As you may know, I am moving interstate at the moment, so it may not have been a great idea to join in this month, but by the time I realised this it was too late. Story of my life really!

There are many recipes I was interested in making on Chris and Lisa’s site, but I was most attracted to a Persian dish called Borani which is a dip or salad made up of spinach, yogurt, feta and dill. It came together quickly and easily and went down a treat with some Turkish bread. I will definitely be making this one again! Thanks guys!

1 bunch fresh spinach, well rinsed, stemmed, and chopped
1 cup chopped onions
3 spring onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp minced fresh dill
1/3 cup feta cheese
2 tbsp light plain yogurt
salt and ground pepper to taste

After rinsing the spinach, cook for a few minutes over medium heat in a covered sauce pan until wilted but still bright green. Drain the spinach and press in a colander or sieve to squeeze out the excess moisture.

Saute the onions, spring onions, and garlic in the olive oil. When the onions are soft and translucent, stir in the spinach and dill and heat for about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to press out any extra liquid and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the feta and yogurt and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least an hour.

Serve with bread or pita.

Makes approx. 2 cups

S

Houmous

Houmous is one of my favourite dips. I discovered that its not one of Tony’s – he says it reminds him of saw dust. I made this on the weekend for friends to nibble on while we waited for dinner.

I thought there was way too much, but it all went and everyone said they loved it (although, that could have been because dinner took a little longer than I expected).

Sorry for the bad photo, I forgot to take a photo before I put it out.

The next morning, as we were walking to the shops, rambling about the night before I said ‘ye, the houmous the yum wasn’t it’ and Tony couldn’t believe it was houmous, so that’s a good sign for you!

400g can of chickpeas, drained and well rinsed
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
3 tbs of tahini
The juice of 2 lemons
1 tbs of olive oil
Salt

Put the chickpeas, garlic and tahini in a blender and puree a little. Season with salt.

Add the lemon juice and process again until smooth.

Add the olive oil and process for a second more and adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve with whatever you like, I did carrot and celery batons and corn chips. Mmm.

S