Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Spinach Dip...all wrapped up.

Here's the first recipe I'm giving out from the wedding I just catered. The family wanted spinach dip and I have found that it is so difficult to have dip during a cocktail hour at parties or weddings (as the guests want to mingle and well....drink...not sit down and scoop up dip on a plate).....so what I've done is made my spinach dip and wrapped them in spinach herb tortillas then cut them into small pieces so guests can just grab one and go. My spinach dip is a knock-off version of Borani (a Persian spinach dip that I've changed a bit to my liking).



Avesta Borani

10 oz package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained (you can saute 2 bunches of chopped fresh spinach in 2 tablespoons olive oil if you prefer or have time)

16 oz cream cheese

1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt or sour cream

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 or 2 cloves of garlic (depending on how much you like garlic), finely minced or you can use granulated garlic powder (1-2 tablespoons) if you don't have fresh garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoon curry powder

salt & pepper to taste

1 package spinach tortillas

1 package spring mix

toothpicks


In a sauce pan, combine spinach, cream cheese and yogurt and heat on medium until mixture is blended together. Take pan off heat and add garlic, cumin, curry powder and Parmesan cheese, mix well and finally add salt and pepper to taste, let mixture cool down a bit. Lay your tortilla out and spread a generous amount of the Borani around the tortilla, sprinkle with spring mix and roll together tightly. Cut the rolled tortilla into 4 pieces and keep together with a toothpick. Display these on a platter by putting spring mix in the middle of the platter and putting your rolls around the spring mix.

These can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge until you're ready to serve them. I would not make them the day before though as they do get soggy. You can, however, make your Borani a day or two before and roll them the day of your event. You can also just served the dip in a bowl with pita chips, crusty bread, tortilla chips or fresh veggies (cucumbers and carrots are great with Borani!)
I've been asked if you can microwave the ingredients instead of doing it on the stovetop...yes...you can do all of this in the microwave if that's easier and faster for you! Also this dip is not going to be that cheesy, buttery kind of spinach dip we eat most of the time (this is a much healthier version)...you can always add some more cheese or 1/2 cup of mozzarella if you want the dip to be cheesier. You could even sprinkle some cheese on top of the dip in a casserole dish and broil it for a few minutes if you want that golden melted cheese on top before serving.
These were not complicated but they were the first to go....plus the touch of cumin and curry give it boost of flavor without adding too much....everyone kept asking "what's in these...they're wonderful!"

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is this the recipe I can use just to make the dip also? Thanks!

avesta said...

yes...you don't have to wrap the dip, put it in a bowl and serve it with pita, crusty bread, veggies or tortilla chips. it's good both cold or heated up...and you can even freeze half of it and warm it up for later use. enjoy!