Where has this pistachio-feta dip been all my life? I found it online a couple of years ago (thank you, Tasting Table) and have since made it frequently for dinner guests and potlucks. It’s easy, unusual and always gets raves. Wish I could say I invented it, but New York’s Shuka restaurant gets the credit. With all the colorful fresh vegetables at farmers markets right now, you need this dip.
Trader Joe’s has bags of raw pistachios at a good price. I like their private-label Greek feta, too, although it has changed recently. It used to be 100 percent sheep’s milk and notably creamy. Now it is part goat’s milk (up to 30 percent is allowed in Greek feta) and less creamy but still high on my list. Valbreso, the widely distributed French feta, is all sheep’s milk. No wonder I love it.
The French began making feta decades ago to use sheep’s milk that would otherwise have gone into Roquefort and possibly flooded the market with this beloved blue cheese. By diverting the milk to feta, producers could keep the Roquefort price high. Even today, Valbreso relies on sheep’s milk from the Roquefort production area, from the prized Lacaune breed. They can’t call it feta any longer—the Greeks own that name within the EU—so it’s simply Valbreso, full stop.
Get creative with your accompaniments. Pink-fleshed watermelon radishes are especially pretty; make them curl with a short stay in ice water. The dip also makes a tasty spread for pita sandwiches.
Pistachio and Feta Dip
Adapted from a recipe on Tasting Table from Shuka Restaurant in New York City. Serve with pita or pita chips, radishes, cucumber spears, hearts of romaine, roasted beets, fennel wedges, scallions, boiled creamer potatoes, cherry tomatoes, baby turnips, carrots, cauliflower or sugar snap peas. (I would blanch the last four.) It keeps for a couple of days in the fridge but bring to room temperature to serve.
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon raw (unroasted) pistachios
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large garlic clove, sliced
¾ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
2 tablespoons fresh dill
1/2 pound feta (about 1-1/2 cups), preferably Greek feta or French Valbreso, crumbled
¼ cup plain yogurt
Put the pistachios, olive oil and garlic in a food processor and pulse to a near-paste. Add the cilantro and dill and process until blended. Add the feta and yogurt and process until completely smooth.
Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
Makes about 2 cups