I have noticed that, when dining with friends these days, it is rare for people to provide a formal entreé; rather, they are serving antipasto platters, cheeses or dips before their main meal.  It is so much more casual and relaxing than the formal dinner parties of the eighties and nineties. This being the case, we need a few dip recipes up our sleeves. 

Dips are:

• so easy to make;
• so much cheaper than buying them; and
• so much nicer than the bought ones,

yet so few people make their own.  I think the concern is that most recipes make much more than you usually need for one sitting – but you can always halve the recipe.  If it is a cheese-based dip, we usually have the left overs on toast or on water crackers and it is  gone within a day or two.  Also, a lot of things, particularly hummus and paté, freeze exceptionally well.  We make them then freeze in little serving dishes.

This recipe is from Greg and Lucy Malouf’s Turquoise.  It makes a small bowl to serve as one component of a tray of assorted dips and nibblies.  It is especially good served with hummus and olives. 

Ingredients:

• ⅔ cup walnuts
• 180g feta (this is where, I think, Danish feta is better than real Greek feta as it produces a smoother dip)
• 2 tbs (30 mls) natural yoghurt
• 1tbs (15 mls) olive oil
• 2 tbs (30 mls) parsley leaves, chopped
• ½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1. Toast the walnuts either in a dry pan or in the oven until they begin to colour.  Put the walnuts in a clean, old tea towel and rub together to get as much skin off as possible.  Chop and set aside.
2. Put the feta in a bowl and mash until smooth.
3. Add the yoghurt and the olive oil and mix until well combined.
4. Add the parsley, pepper and the walnuts; mix through.
5. Decorate with a parsley sprig and walnut pieces, if desired. 

Yummy with toasted Lebanese bread.