Feta Yogurt Sauce

This sauce was originally made for a pita pocket dinner, but I found it to be so delicious that I began using it as a dip for bread, a dip for vegetables, a salad dressing, and the cream base for creamed spinach. 

Creamy and tangy, this sauce can be used to accompany anything from vegetables to fish, and you could probably even use it as a pizza topping. It's bright with herbs and lemon, and the richness imparted by the feta and olive oil make this a perfectly balanced condiment. If anyone out there tries this, let me know how you used it, and how you liked it.

Feta Yogurt Sauce

(Adapted from the New York Times)

• 3 ounces feta cheese
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably whole-milk
• 1/8 cup very good olive oil
• Teaspoon loosely packed oregano leaves
• 1 lemon
• Freshly ground black pepper

In a blender or food processor, combine feta, yogurt, 1/8 cup olive oil, oregano, and the juice of a quarter of a lemon. Blend or process until smooth. You can also mash mixture by hand, with a fork. If you do it that way, chop up the oregano leaves before adding. I actually used a measuring cup and a hand-held stick blender, which worked beautifully. Add a lot of freshly ground black pepper. Taste for seasoning and add more lemon juice or pepper if needed. You probably won't need salt since the feta is salty.

Guacamole

There are times when nothing but some fresh, creamy guacamole will do. I usually start craving it a couple weeks before I actually make it, but I don't make it right away because, for various reasons, I dismiss the craving as inconvenient. There comes a time though, when I just have to give in and make the green goodness, but I try to do it when there will be other people around.

Why? Because I can eat a massive amount of this stuff all by myself. I've been known to make it as an appetizer to go with a margarita, then become so enamored of the dip and its attendant chips (not to mention the margarita) that I forget to make dinner altogether.

Therefore, this batch was made when a fellow guacamole-lover was coming to dinner. We had to put it to the side so that we didn't spoil our dinners, because it was just too satisfying to stop eating. I love guacamole in the summertime, especially with some grilled meat to follow the chips-and-dip binge.

Guacamole

• 2 avocados
• Juice of half a lime
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of white pepper
• Tiny pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• Tiny pinch cayenne
• 3 tablespoons finely diced onion
• 1 Finely diced jalapeno
• Half of a tomato, finely diced

Place the avocado and other ingredients through the cayenne into a bowl and mash until it's mostly smooth, but has a few chunks left. (Or make it very chunky of completely smooth-whatever you prefer). Taste for seasoning, and add any of the prior ingredients if needed. Remember, though, that the jalapeno will add heat. When seasoning is to your taste, stir in the rest of the ingredients. Grab some chips and enjoy.

(Another summertime favorite--toasted whole grain bread with tomatoes, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. Mmmmm.)

Romesco, I Love You

It doesn't look like much, does it? It is, however, absolutely obsession-worthy.

It's Romesco sauce, and I can't stop eating it; I must have eaten two pounds of it in the last month. That's why I haven't been blogging--I've been eating nothing but Romesco in all its various incarnations. Okay, not really, but almost.

I've mentioned this condiment/sauce in a previous post, but I'm back to say that Romesco is fantastic on crackers, bread, fish, pork, pretty much anything grilled, roasted meats, eggs, zucchini, fennel, tortilla chips, and it pairs well with both soft and hard cheeses. Not to mention beer, champagne, and light white wines like Sauvignon Blanc or the newly trendy Gruner Veltliner.

I'm telling you, I'm obsessed.

You need to make this, and you need to make it now. People on Epicurious will make you think that it's a big deal. It's not. And the best part is that you can divide the batch into little portions, freeze them in little baggies, and defrost them as needed, the way you would with pesto.

Ignore those recipes that call for chicken stock or jarred roasted red peppers--this recipe adapted from Suzanne Goin is the real deal, and your efforts will be well rewarded.

Romesco

2 tablespoons raw almonds
2 tablespoons hazelnuts
5 Guajillo chiles, or a mix of Guajillo and New Mexico chiles (I think that Ancho are more traditional, but I prefer the less-smoky flavor of the other two chiles)
2 tomatoes, cored
One slice of bread
1 clove of garlic, chopped
About half a cup of good-quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)
One lemon, for juicing
Sherry vinegar, to taste
Sea or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Spread the nuts on the flat pan of a toaster oven (or on a baking sheet in the oven) and toast at 375 degrees until golden brown, about 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, stem and seed the chiles, and soak them in warm water for about 15 minutes. Remove from the water and dry with paper towels.

When the nuts are toasted, place the tomatoes on the sheet and turn the heat up to 425. Roast until flesh is tender and the raw edges are caramelized. Timing will vary, but this will likely take about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan over high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toast the bread until it is golden on both sides.

Tear up the bread and place it in the food processor. Add the nuts, garlic, tomatoes, chiles, and about 1/2 teaspoon salt, and puree until you have a coarse, semi-homogeneous mixture. With the machine running, add the olive oil until you have a smooth paste.

Season to taste with parsley, lemon juice, vinegar (I like to use about 3-4 tablespoons, but some people might prefer less), salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

This will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks, or can be frozen for a few months. When frozen, it defrosts very quickly and is therefore very convenient.

A side note--this is one of those recipes where more garlic is not better. Don't do what I did and figure that because you love garlic, you should add more. Don't.

(At a recent extended-family party, this cake was dropped on the ground. We ate it anyway.)

(The Lone Cypress, shot on our recent trip to California. More on that later. Maybe.)