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!
This delicious dip is made even better by drizzling with honey and sprinkling with coarsely chopped Trader Joe's Olive & Herb Mixed Nuts.
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).