Greek salad dip…brilliant. Two of everyone’s favorite foods—hummus and Greek salad—come together on one plate. Wish I’d thought of it. With cucumbers, tomatoes and basil in their glory right now, and good weather luring us outdoors, this layered dip is the perfect start to a summer evening. Use store-bought hummus and pita chips to keep it simple or make your own.

Greek Salad Dip

Feel free to improvise here. Add sliced radishes or pickled pepperoncini. Add toasted cumin to the hummus if you like it (I do), or use a store-bought red pepper hummus.

Hummus:

• 1 can (15-oz) garbanzo beans, drained

• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, sliced

• ¾ teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste

• 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Pita Chips:

• Vegetable oil for frying

• 3 pita rounds

Toppings:

• ¾ cup plain yogurt

• 1 clove garlic, grated or finely minced

• 1 medium tomato, diced, plus some cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 Persian cucumber or 6 inches of English cucumber, diced

• 1/3 cup diced red onion or thinly sliced scallions

• 2 ounces Greek feta

• 8 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

• Fresh basil, mint, dill or cilantro leaves, or a mix

• Aleppo pepper or other medium-hot coarse red pepper or sumac

Make the hummus: Put the drained garbanzo beans in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt and puree until nearly smooth. With the motor running, add the ice water slowly until the hummus is the consistency you like. Process for about 5 minutes to make the hummus super-smooth.

Make the pita chips: Put 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan and heat to 350°F. Cut the 3 pita in half to make 6 half-moons. Carefully separate each half-moon into 2 layers, and then tear each of those half-moons into three or four roughly shaped wedges. Fry in batches until golden brown, agitating constantly so they brown evenly, then transfer with a skimmer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt while warm.

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, garlic and salt to taste.

Spread the hummus on a platter. Top with the yogurt, then with the tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, feta and olives. Scatter herb leaves, whole or coarsely chopped, over the top. Sprinkle with red pepper or sumac. Serve immediately with pita chips.

Serves 4

Cheese & Wine Tasting with Blackbird Vineyards

Friday, July 24
4 pm PT

Join me for a deep dive into cheese and wine pairing with Blackbird Vineyards winemaker Aaron Pott and Nicasio Valley Cheese owner Rick Lafranchi. Order the Blackbird Trio of cheeses to taste along. To register for the tasting (it’s free) and purchase any or all of the wines we’ll be tasting, visit Blackbird Vineyards. Or just listen in!