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Kopanisti

May 27th, 2011

Kopanisti

Knowing that I am married to a Greek, a friend asked if I knew how to make Kopanisti and would I share a recipe. Unfortunately, I didn’t even know what they were talking about! I couldn’t even find it in my Greek Cooking Bible! So, I happened to see my (Greek) friends mother (who is an incredible cook) at a party- I drilled her about what this Kopanisti dip was. She couldn’t even remember! (uh, apparently it is not very common?) But she was sweet enough to get on the phone and call her sister (also Greek, also a great cook). They gave me the basic rundown of what is in Kopanisti: Feta, Red Pepper, Spicy pepper and Mint.

Shoot.

The rest is me winging it. So this may not be the most authentic of Kopanisti renditions, but the flavor is amazing, bright, salty spicy and with a hint of mint at the end of the bite. And at least I know the ingredients are correct!

I think next time I would recommend using a food processor, as my vitamix blender really liquefied the hell out of it! (But it set up firmly in the fridge again). I feel like the food processor would maybe give it a chunkier texture, which may be preferred for Kopanisti.

I grilled Pita bread to serve with it- but later dug into the leftovers with raw cut cucumbers.

This is a great and unique dip to serve for your next get together or just to have a reason to consume more veggies (slathered in dip of course).

I also managed to save enough that I used it on a turkey- havarti Panini. You should definitely do the same- you won’t be sorry.

Kopanisti
.75 lb feta cheese, drained and cubed
6oz roasted red peppers, drained
1 cup mint leaves
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbs pickled hot peppers (I prefer Mama Lil’s pickled spicy goat horn peppers)
3 small cloves garlic
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

In the bowl of a food processor or the jar of a blender, puree these ingredients together until well combined.

Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve with hot pita or sliced raw vegetables.