Dips for your next Shuka night

more ideas, less recipes… do with them what you will

labneh with toasty pistachios, vinegar honey, and pistachios

Toast a handful of crushed pistachios until fragrant + nutty, set aside to cool.

Make vinegar honey by mixing 4 parts honey with 1 part vinegar (I like champagne vinegar, but any will do). Mix in freshly cracked black pepper.

Swirl a few heaping spoonfuls of labneh in the middle of a small plate. Top with toasted pistachios and drizzle of vinegar honey

hummus

By no means a hummus expert, I pretty much wing it every time and this is my methodology (for a big batch).

Add two cans of drained and rinsed chickpeas to a blender. Add ~1/3 cup of tahini, the juice of one lemon, one small garlic clove (microplaned), and a pinch of salt. Blend, using a tamper to help mix. With the blender on, add ~1/4 cup of olive oil. At this point your hummus might be kinda sorta smooth but not that smooth. With the blender on, slowly at in warm water, a little at a time, until desired consistency is reached. I like a pretty spoonable hummus. Taste and season with more salt, garlic, or lemon as needed.

Swirl a few heaping spoonfuls in the middle of a small plate. Top with a drizzle of good EVOO, like Graza, and a sprinkle of your favorite seasoning, like dukkah, za’atar, or sumac (maybe all 3!)

spicy harissa whipped feta

in a food processor or small blender crumble a block of feta and add a heaping spoonful of greek yogurt or labneh, a few tbsp of olive oil, and a spoonful of harissa (size dependent on spice preference). pulse to blend until smooth (can add a splash of cream or milk if it is too thick). taste and season with salt and pepper, or additional harissa. to make chunkier, you can mix in additional feta crumbles.

Swirl a few heaping spoonfuls in the middle of a small plate. drizzle with chili oil + serve

*I suggest eating with a pita or flatbread of some sort (my favorite recipe is here) and lots of crunchy veggies like carrots, cucumbers, and radishes.