This is my tribute to the “rip and dip” queen herself, Ayesha Nurdjaja and head chef at Shukette in New York City where I had a whipped feta with roasted pepper dip that I dreamed about for months after my visit. Turning it from a dip into more of a summer salad (and this year’s tomato offering) I was able to combine my dip and salad with a killer warm anchovy dressing that brings everything together. Think dip, meets salad meets banga cauda and you are there.
Consider this your Summer dipping starter, your side of the season, the basis for an open based sandwich (foccacia would be ideal) or as a stand alone dish. I reserve this for these months when the tomatoes are at their peak sweet juiciness.
Note: the whipped feta makes a wonderful dip on its own or base for other salads all year around. It works brilliantly with the zesty courgettes, sprinkled with sesame sumac salt or topped with roasted tomatoes or pickled red onions, pickled watermelon rind or pickled celery. Let the adventures begin…..
For the Whipped Feta
- 100g feta (the softer the better)
- 100g full fat Greek yoghurt
- zest of 1 lemon
- a good pinch of Malden salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the Tomatoes & their Dressing
- 750g mixed heirloom tomatoes, some sliced, some cut into wedges, or halved or whole smaller cherry varieties
- 3 roasted & peeled red peppers, sliced into strips or small pieces
- a good pinch of Malden salt
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
- 3 anchovy fillets
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper or 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tbsp capers, rinsed if salted
- 60g walnut halves, toasted and roughly broken up or chopped
- 1 small bunch of mint, leaves removed from the stems
Make the whipped feta:
break up the feta into small chunks and place in the food processor and pulse a few times to start the creaming process. Add the yoghurt, lemon zest and olive oil and blitz until smooth.
Schmear on the base of your serving plate or shallow bowl leaving a dip in the middle for the tomatoes to pile on top.
For the tomatoes:
Place the chopped tomatoes and peppers into a bowl, sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and drizzle with the red wine or sherry vinegar.
In a small frying pan over a medium heat, combine the olive oil, sliced garlic and anchovies and cook stirring often until the anchovies have dissolved into the oil and the garlic is very lightly golden (3-5 minutes). In the last minute of cooking add the chili flakes and capers and swirl to combine.
Immediately remove from the heat and spoon over the tomatoes and peppers, reserving a little for the top. Add half of the mint and walnuts, give everything a stir and gently spoon onto the whipped feta, allowing the juices to be caught in the dip.
Spoon over the last few drizzles of chill crisp and garnish with the reserved mint and walnuts and another pinch of salt.
Have you made this dish?
Let me know what you think, share your efforts and any tweaks you made to the recipe on Instagram, don’t forget to tag #BuildingFeasts or email me on info@buildingfeasts.com
