Whipped Feta Dip with Vegetable Dippers and Edible Flowers is a quick and easy crowd pleaser.

It has become a firm favourite for afternoon teas when friends drop in and to serve at some of our events here at Ecobotanica.

It never fails to elicit mouthwatering  ‘oohs’ and ‘aaahs’ when served.

If you are not into cooking but can rustle up a hand mixer and some fresh ingredients, this one is for you too!

It’s quick to make and the feta once whipped, stores a couple of days in a sealed container in the fridge so you can make it ahead of time.

Add colourful sliced vegies and some edible flowers such as Crucifix orchids, Society garlic flowers, Violas, Pansies or Cornflowers and a bowl of dry biscuits on the side and it’s a winner don’t you think?

Ingredients:

For the dip:

250 grams Danish feta

1/4 cup unsweetened  Greek yoghurt

1/4 cup olive oil plus a tablespoon extra to serve

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

Pepper to taste

1 clove garlic – crushed

A sprinkle of paprika to serve

While I don’t have these in this picture, you can fold  a few tablespoons of chopped edible flower petals eg nasturtiums, or herbs such as chives, basil or parsley through the feta prior to serving for extra flavour and colour.

 

 For the dippers and decoration

1 cup Lebanese cucumber slices

1 cup red capsicum slices

I cup baby carrots or carrot slices

1 handful of cherry tomatoes

Celery or lettuce leaves for under the vegies

Edible flowers to decorate. I have violas, crucifix orchids, borage, coreopsis and dianthus in the picture.

A small bowl of dry biscuits if you like.

 

To make it:

Add the feta to a bowl with the olive oil, yoghurt, lemon juice and garlic.

Whip it with an electric beater on low speed, then increase to medium speed as the feta breaks up.

Whip only until the lumps have disappeared and the mix is uniformly smooth. Stop the whipping at this stage.

Taste and add pepper to your liking, mixing through with a spatula. (A quarter teaspoon of freshly ground pepper is usually enough for me.)

At this stage you may fold through the herbs or petals if you’d like the feta to have extra character. But beware, the flower petals will discolour the feta if stored for more than a few hours. You should fold in the petals directly before serving.

 

To serve:

Take a large platter or board. Spoon the feta onto the centre and smooth out just a little with a shallow well in the middle.

Drizzle a little extra olive oil on the fetta and sprinkle with paprika.

Surround the feta with celery leaves or lettuce leaves and lay out the vegetable slices on the leaves around the perimeter of the feta.

It’s now ready to serve with a little bowl of biscuits if you wish.