by shayma
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2
packets baby (or regular) spinach, (6 oz packets)
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1
clove garlic, minced and divided into two separate batches.
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2
tbsp olive oil (not your best, but the type you use for sautéing)
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2
small tubs very thick, drained yoghurt- I use Greek Yoghurt, 'Total Tage', (they come in a 5.3 oz tub).
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salt
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dried mint for garnish (please do use dried vs. fresh mint, therein lies the beauty of this dish- the use of a woodsy, earthy dried herb)
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handful crushed walnuts
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your best olive oil
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Blanch your baby spinach.
Ask the hotline about this step!Drain well, make sure to get all the liquid out. Chop fine.
Ask the hotline about this step!Sauté 1/2 clove of garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil and add the baby spinach. Add a pinch of salt. Stir for a few minutes.
Ask the hotline about this step!Remove from stove, allow to cool, then squeeze out any excess liquid.
Ask the hotline about this step!In a bowl, add yoghurt, 1/2 clove of minced garlic, baby spinach and stir gently. Add salt to taste.
Ask the hotline about this step!Transfer to the bowl you are serving it in (I use a shallow, round bowl) and sprinkle with dried mint, crushed walnuts and a lazy trail of olive oil.
Ask the hotline about this step!Serve with lavash or whole wheat pita. And don't forget the Pinot Gris :)
Ask the hotline about this step!I'd love to try this and have everything in my pantry except the spinach. Would frozen do in a pinch?
This looks really easy but delicious. I can't wait to make it this summer with fresh herbs straight from our garden. I love healthy chip dips!
My kids, including the 5 year old polished this off within minutes. Certainly a keeper!!
all of your recipes look amazing....
Question for you....do you chop up the spinach before adding the yogurt, etc? It looks chopped in the picture but there's nothing specific in the steps. I plan on making this over the weekend...it looks and sounds delicious.
Hi Mprize,
Step 2 says to "Drain well, make sure to get all the liquid out. Chop fine."
absolutely delicious. if I hadn't cooked 18 other dishes for my son's birthday, I would have eaten the whole thing by myself. I can easily imagine fresh dill in this or any other seasonal fresh herbs.
Thinking about making this for a Thanksgiving appetizer. Would it keep until Thursday if I made it on Tuesday? And would pine nuts substitute for walnuts - my husband is allergic to the latter?
Made this for a party last night and it was a huge hit! We made it as an appetizer with a few other dips and there was just enough for our ~20 guests. Next time I'll use something crunchier than pita bread. Great recipe!!!!!
Have a HUGE bunch of mint drying in the sun right now, this will be it's first use.
I love that you specifically call for dried mint. I have a black thumb when it comes to herbs. Overall this looks stellar- yum!
I'd just like to say that I LOVE this recipe. Since I found it, I make it constantly just for myself and everyone I make it for loves it too. Great for parties. Or I like it with Wheat Thins for an easy lunch. Just wanted to thank you for an excellent staple recipe and the best way to eat super healthy spinach!
I made this last night and was rushing around so I completely messed up the recipe. I steamed the spinach and threw it in with the yogurt before I read the step about sauteeing it with oil and garlic. So I just chopped up some garlic and sauteed that with oil and mixed it in. It was still delicious and everyone was raving! Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe!
Beautiful picture, look's delicious!...would thawed frozen spinach work?
Congrats Shayma! What a wonderful recipe..
Congrats! Alsatian Pinot Gris would indeed be a good match, but I couldn't find one. I think the PG from Alto-Adige would work nicely too.
Thank you. A Pinot Grigio with hints of pear and mineral notes will pair well with this, too.
OMG I just realised whom i am writing to- Sasha! and look at me giving *you* advice on wine. when i tell my father (an economist, like me) smthg about economics, he jokingly says, 'teaching grandma to suck eggs, are we?' *going red* tee hee
congrats! can't wait to try this weekend!
i will make soon
Yum, I cannot wait to make this! Greek yogurt and flatbread and pinot grigio on tonight's shopping list! I'm also thinking my toddler will love it in her lunchbox tomorrow. Thanks!
We had this tonight and loved it. I used it in my best spring lamb entry. Thank you!
i would love to pair this with lamb, too, what a wonderful idea. thank you!
we had this last night and all agreed it was the best spinach dip we'd ever had. i love, loved it! thank you so much for sharing the recipe. i'll make it for years to come :)
thank you. i do love boranis- there are so many different ones in the Persian kitchen- i like the beet one as well. so kind you are :)
But, the big question for me is "what wine do you serve with it?"
thanks for the encouragement and 'thumbs up', all. hope everyone's having a great weekend!
I'm making this tomorrow and I can't wait. Brought home a big bag of organic locally grown spinach and fresh yogurt from our farmers' market. :D
Congrats and I will keep this on my favorite recipes.
Looks and sounds delicious! I wonder if I can dry my own mint??
thank you, yes, it would be so wonderful if you dried your own mint. i buy mine at the Persian Grocer's in DC- it is so so good, but what's better than having your own homemade herbs?
a spectacular and unusual recipe, shayma. i can't wait to add this to my next cocktail party appetizer table. beautiful photo!
Hooray for Persian princesses and their delicious dips!
I loved this dish as soon as you posted it and can't wait to try it. congratulations!
Shayma--yum! congratulations!!
You have our vote. Just made this last weekend and it was big success. Congratulations!
my gosh, this is such an honour. honestly! thank you so much for the kind words, everyone. and thank you, Amanda and Merrill for creating this community for us home cooks!
Yay Shama! So glad this was selected! It looks delish and perfect for the dinner party I'm going to this weekend. Happy Persian New Year :D
Your recipe looks wonderful - as soon as you posted it, I knew it was a "keeper"! Good luck!
This sounds delicious and intriguing with the dried mint. I bet it's good with pine nuts too. Congratulations!
Congratulations Shayma! This look wonderful, and will go on my short list of recipes to try.
Shayma! Congrats, so well deserved!!!
WOOOOO HOOOOO! Shayma, congrats.
Another two great selections for finalists this week! I've got all the ingredients in my frig to try this. It looks really yummy.
This looks amazing, will definitely make it! Thank you for the great recipe
Thanks to the lovely (and loving, dare I say!) Food52 community, we get to share lots of wonderful recipes/stories/experiences. Yay for Food52. Buon weekend, all.
Love this dip and the story!
I think I am in love with thick yoghurts- love it with everything. Thanks so much.
Great dish.
Thank you. I am grateful to the great feminist Queen, Poorandokht for introducing boranis into our cuisine.
this will be on our table beginning tonight. looks great
Thanks so much, girls. Dairy and spinach, good for you, right? ;)
This sounds fabulous, and I just happen to have everything I need to make it (our favorite local creamery makes incredible natural yogurt that drains to the consistency and tang of Greek-style)! Thanks, Shayma!
How amazing, nothing like being able to buy yoghurt from a local creamery. Most welcome :)
Your recipes are always so thoughtful and delicious, photos are excellent, and I love the stories. Yet another Shayma recipe saved to mine!!!
You're very kind. I would like to believe that this dish has something to do with a Persian queen! Women rule the kitchen, no offence to our male friends on Food 52! ;)
How I love reading recipes and food traditions from Iran! I have made this before but haven't thought about it in quite awhile. Your photo is delicious.
Thank you, it's thanks to a little point and shoot and good sunlight :)
Marion is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at NYU and the author of several books on food policy, including Safe Food and What To Eat.
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Greek yogurt, olive oil, spinach, walnuts, dried mint and garlic -- are all it takes to make this great dip.
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First, a little spinach blanching. (And then draining, squeezing dry and chopping.)
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Merrill crushes walnuts with the meat pounder.
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Amanda chops the blanched and squeezed-dry spinach.
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Merrill heating a little oil.
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Adding half the garlic.
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Amanda drops in the chopped spinach, just to warm through.
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Isn't that a gorgeous color?
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After letting the spinach cool, we added it to the yogurt, just as Shayma tells us to do.
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Folding, folding, folding, and adding a little fresh garlic.
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And then you spread the dip in a shallow plate, sprinkle it with dried mint, walnuts and olive oil.
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And you have an excellent hors d'oeuvre for your next dinner party.
I just made this for a FOOD52 book launch party (!!!), and just so everyone knows, I used a pound of well drained frozen chopped spinach and a cup of Fage Greek nonfat yogurt. And while it wasn't watery and insipid (as I imagine it might have been had I not used Greek yogurt), it was missing some flavor. So I added the juice and zest of a small lemon, and it was fine. Majorly delicious actually. Just in case, like me, you're thinking that this could be the only thing on your party menu that won't shut everyone's arteries down. You can use nonfat or lowfat Greek yogurt. Just be prepared to kick in some extra flavor.