Lemony Whipped Feta With Charred Scallions
Updated March 23, 2020
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 ½ lemons, plus more to taste
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and halved crosswise
⅓ cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
10 ounces feta cheese, broken into large pieces (about 2 ½ to 3 cups)
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature, or heavy cream
¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more for garnish
¼ teaspoon cayenne, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon hot water
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
5 grams carbs; 62 milligrams cholesterol; 319 calories; 14 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 30 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 595 milligrams sodium; 8 grams protein; 1 gram sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the broiler and line a sheet pan with foil. Juice 1 whole lemon to get 3 tablespoons juice and set aside. Cut the remaining ½ lemon into 3 to 4 thin slices.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, toss together the lemon slices, scallions and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place on sheet pan and broil until blackened, tossing occasionally, 7 to 9 minutes for the scallions and about another 5 minutes for the lemon slices. Transfer to a cutting board to cool slightly.
- Step 3
In a food processor, add the feta, cream cheese, remaining ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, reserved lemon juice, black pepper, cayenne and hot water. Purée until very smooth, then add almost all of the scallions (save 1 or 2 pieces and chop roughly for a garnish). Pulse to combine, leaving some chunky scallion pieces. Taste for lemon, adjusting as needed.
- Step 4
Transfer to a bowl, then garnish with charred lemon slices, the reserved scallion, black pepper and a pinch of cayenne.
This dip is airiest and lightest the day it’s made. If you make it 1 or 2 days in advance, store it in the refrigerator, then let it come to room temperature and give it a good stir before serving.
Private Notes
Comments
Took it to a party and was very popular - the dip was, too.
The disconnect between the descriptions of how the scallions are blackened in the introductory paragraph and then in the recipe itself seems a bit odd ...
Made as directed and it was delicious! I found the scallion flavor intensified quite a bit after the dip had sat in the fridge for a couple hours, which was great because the original result wasn’t quite as flavorful as I’d hoped. Served with pita chips at a party, then ate the leftovers the next morning on toasted crusty bread with tomatoes, arugula, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and dill. Will remember for future parties!
I made this tovtake to a dinner party as an app. The charred lemons were not appetizing! The dip is excellent !! However, i brought a lot od leftovers home, so I repurposed by making stuffed shell pasta and covered it withva tomato/ zucchini/sweevpepper sauce, topped with shredded parm and baked for 30 min. At 3:50. Delicious!!
This has become one of my go-to party recipes. A tip: leave the cream cheese out of the food processor and fold it in after. This makes it much easier to puree, especially for those who don’t have a food processor and just use a blender (like me). I also prefer labneh to cream cheese, which is easier to mix by hand (and delicious).
Very good , a little too lemon forward for me -- so forced to broil some cherry tomatoes for the top which were great