How Sweet Eats Creamy Feta Dip with Jalapenos

 I am always looking for any excuse to eat feta cheese and naan bread. They are two ingredients that I never tire of. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand for this, so I felt like giving it a try.

A brick of feta cheese mixed into olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, roasted and diced jalapeno pepper, and caramelized garlic. When you slather this creamy feta dip and jalapenos on some warm fluffy naan bread you have a very comforting winter appetizer! I would make this again and add kalamata olives, tomato,some oregano or parsley. Delicious!

 

Creamy Feta Dip with Jalapenos

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

by Jessica Merchant

Serves 4-6

2 bricks of feta cheese (8 ounces) each

3 whole jalapeno peppers

1/4 cup olive oil + tablespoon

1 bulb garlic

the juice of half a lemon

the zest of half a lemon

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Chop the top off the garlic bulb and drizzle it with a teaspoon of olive oil. Wrap it in foil and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until garlic is golden in color. At the same time, brush the jalapenos with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Either grill or roast them - I stuck them in the oven with garlic and just watched until they were charred. Remove both from the oven and let cool. Once jalapenos are cooled, remove skins, cut in half and discard the seeds. Chop into small pieces. Don't touch your eyes!

In a large bowl, crumble the feta bricks (crumbling the bricks yourself works best, but if you can only find crumbled feta that is fine). Add chopped jalapenos, the zest of half a lemon, and the juice of half a lemon. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb directly into the feta. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and mash with a fork. You want the feta to be a bit "wet" -- I can best describe it as a cross between a spread and a dip. There is no right or wrong - make it however you'd like. Taste the feta and season with salt and pepper. Serve with pita chips, warm pita or naan, or spread it on sandwiches. Store it in the fridge for up to one week - I find that I like it best at room temperature, so allow it to sit out for about 30 minutes before serving. We also think it would be great with some kalamata olives. 

January Potluck @ IHCC!