Roasted Red Pepper And Feta Dip

I have been making this dip for years - ask my friends it’s totally true. I didn’t ever think that I would have to measure everything to share the recipe but here we are. I’m sure I came up with this combo based on one of my favourite Greek dips made of basically feta and some yoghurt and hot peppers called tirokafteri.

I love roasted red peppers and decided to do a sweeter version of tirokafteri with only a hint of heat by adding some chili flakes. I think I made a few watery batches before nailing the texture (we definitely still ate the watery batches - no feta will be wasted on my clock). There’s no rocket science involved in making it though. I make sure to drain off any excess liquid from the roasted red peppers if using jarred or canned and only add as much olive oil to achieve the texture you like. Roasting your own peppers will amp the flavour of course but I rarely have time to do that especially if I have company coming and little time to fuss with dips. It’s just as delicious using canned or jarred so don’t fret if you don’t roast your own. If you do I have the method to do so below.

I add the garlic raw and grated but if you are roasting your pepper you might as well roast the garlic as well. You can amp up the heat by adding more chili flakes or even using actual hot peppers but I like the simplicity of the chili flakes. It’s a basic simple dip remember but feel free to doctor it up how you like. This is just the basic recipe.

I’m very glad that I made it again for the workshop that we had recently because it has always been a great dip, a loved dip but I never warranted it important enough to get a recipe down on paper for it and on the blog. It seems it was a huge hit at both workshops and there were lots of questions about the recipe so here it is!

Just before I share I should tell you what I usually serve it with. We love it with plain baguette but it also makes a great veggie dip. I have slathered it in grilled veggie sandwiches and love dipping grainy crackers into it too. My husband can probably live on it and eats it by the spoonful. Hope you love it too!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 6oz or 1¼ cup crumbled feta (I couldn’t find my usual plain feta, this one had herbs)
• 4 roasted red peppers. I used canned or in a jar, strained and seeds removed (check notes for roasting peppers)
• ¼ cup olive oil - more or less according to the consistency you like
• ½ tsp of chili flakes
• 1 clove of garlic grated
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place all ingredients except olive oil into a food processor and pulse until well combined and smooth.
2. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil a little at a time while processing until you achieve preferred consistency.
3. Refrigerate in a sealed container until ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

• To roast the red peppers yourself do so by charring them on the bbq, stovetop grill or broil them until charred in the oven, allow them to rest covered with foil in a bowl until cool enough to handle and then peel them remove the stems and seeds and use as directed)