Turkish-Style Yogurt Spinach Dip with Pita Bread, Feta Cheese and Stuffed Peppers

On hot summer days, I like meals that don’t require sautéing, searing, sizzling, broiling or charring. My go-to meals are simple and easy, with short ingredient lists. This versatile recipe fits that bill to a “T,” and paired with store-bought pita bread, cucumber sticks, stuffed grape leaves, feta cheese, olives and stuffed sweet peppers, this dip turns into a great meze plate meal.

As pretty as delicious, this garlicky, green-flecked dip is influenced by the Iranian yogurt spinach dip, Borani Esfenaj, and Turkish spinach yogurt dip, Cacik. However, this rendition omits the traditional copious amounts of olive oil, butter-sautéed onions and toasted cumin to direct your focus to the mild-flavored spinach and herbaceous fresh dill.

You can wing it with a variety of garnishes to build up taste: a chiffonade of mint leaves, toasted pine nuts, or chopped walnuts all work exceptionally well. This dip keeps for up to four days in the fridge—if liquid collects at the bottom of the bowl, simply fold it back into the dip and top with a tablespoon of fresh, minced dill before serving.

Turkish-Style Yogurt Spinach Dip with Pita Bread, Feta Cheese and Stuffed Peppers
Makes 1.5 cups

Ingredients:
1 large bunch of organic spinach, about 7 oz.
2 large garlic cloves
Juice of 1 large lemon, about 2 tablespoons
10 oz. labneh (can substitute with plain full-fat, unsweetened Turkish or Greek yogurt)
1 large bunch of organic dill, minced
1 teaspoon Kosher flake salt

Directions:

Rinse spinach under water to remove any grit, and trim tough stems to about 1-inch from leaves.
Place spinach into a steamer basket inside a medium pot, and steam for about 4 minutes or until the leaves soften—do not overcook. Place spinach on a cutting board and cool to room temperature. Squeeze out any juice with your hands, place in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove from fridge and squeeze again to remove excess juice. Chop spinach with a knife and set aside.

In a large bowl, place labneh, lemon juice, dill, chopped spinach and salt. Place a micro plane over bowl and grate garlic to a paste. Using a silicone spatula or large spoon, gently fold the herbs and spinach into the labneh until combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator for serval hours to allow the flavors to develop.
Serve with pita bread, stuffed grape leaves, Feta cheese, and stuffed sweet peppers.