Whenever we get the barbecue going (we have a charcoal one) we don’t want to waste a bit of heat so usually end up grilling a bunch of extra things that we’ll be saving for later. Today I’m showing you something I made with some red peppers we roasted during this barbecue back in the spring. We had the peppers in the freezer, just ready to pull out to make this delicious dip.
This easy recipe can be whipped up in minutes and is good with bread and vegetables. Leftovers makes a nice pasta sauce, heated gently and tossed with cooked noodles. The smokiness of the peppers goes perfectly with the Greek inspired flavours of Feta cheese, Kalamata Olives and Oregano.
While I used roasted red peppers we had in the freezer to make this, you can easily use peppers you’ve just roasted or those found in a jar at the grocery store instead. Also, dried oregano can be used in place of fresh.
I’ve called it “Party Food” because that’s when I usually serve this dip, but this time I had made it to bring on a picnic. But the picnic didn’t end up happening, so we just ate it as a snack over the span of a few days and pretended we were partying while we did.
[To roast red peppers on a barbecue, put them on the grill whole and close the cover. Cook them really well, turning them occasionally, until the skins got all black and blistered. Then transfer them to a glass dish with a cover and set them aside to cool. Once they’re cool either peel them right away or stick the dish into the fridge overnight and do it the next day.
After peeling them (the peel practically falls right off) and removing the core and seeds, divide each pepper into pieces depending on their size, and lay them on a tray lined with parchment paper. Put that in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, put them all into a freezer bag and returned them to the freezer, to use later in soups, salads and to make this dip. Save the juice to add to soup if you want — it has a lot of flavour.]
Party Food : Roasted Red Pepper Dip
Ingredients
- One large roasted red pepper, either made yourself or from a jar
- 150 to 250 grams plain cream cheese *
- 150 grams Feta cheese
- About 12 Kalamata Olives, pitted
- About 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Instructions
*I used 150g of whipped cream cheese that I picked up at the deli counter, but the amount used is flexible. I’ve also made this with the standard blocks of cream cheese that are 250g, and just added a few more olives and a bit more roasted pepper. Taste as you go to see what proportions you like. If using a block of cream cheese, bring to room temperature first so it blends more easily.)
Note: the olives and Feta cheese are salty, so no additional salt is needed.
Put garlic, olives and vinegar in the food processor and whirl until chopped. Add red pepper and whirl. Add cheeses and whirl until smooth. Add oregano and whirl. (Yes, there is a whole lot of whirling going on!)
Spoon into a serving dish and refrigerate until ready to use. The flavours get better the longer it sits. Leftovers keep in the fridge for a few days.
Description
Creamy red pepper dip
Ingredients part 2
Instructions part 2
Description part 2
Ingredients part 3
Instructions part 3
Description part 3
Ingredients part 4
Instructions part 4
Description part 4
This recipe requires a food processor, but if you don’t have one, here are a few party recipes that don’t need any special tools.
Thanks for visiting. Perhaps this recipe has come just in time to be whipped up for your summer party or picnic this weekend. I hope you have a good one!
xo loulou
