Sauce

Summer Dining: Whipped Feta with Tomato, Radish & Cucumber Salad

Creamy whipped feta and a bright vegetable medley make this the perfect summer salad. It takes 20 minutes to make.

We’ve had several 80-degree days over the last few weeks, so in my head, it’s summertime. I don’t have to wait for June 21st with weather like this, right? I love growing summer vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes.

Luckily, right after Derby Day, I was able to plant my sun-loving veggies in the garden. As a Kentucky-native and gardener, I believe that’s a safe time to assume we’re clear of freezes. It’s a superstition some would argue, because the Kentucky Derby changes dates each year.

Like last year, I started my seeds in recycled jugs. The winter sowing method has been my favorite (and most successful). It’s a lot like having mini-greenhouses in the yard throughout winter and early spring. The milk jugs provide enough humidity and protection from the elements for the seedlings to thrive until planting.

Swiss Chard seedlings being grown inside of an upcycled milk jug.

Thanks to kind friends and neighbors, I received clean, empty jugs. I also had friends who wanted to do a seed swap. I received some tomato and squash varieties that I’ve never grown before and look forward to trying and leads me to this delicious recipe…

Why Make Whipped Feta with Tomato, Radish & Cucumber Salad?

Whipped feta is creamy, slightly salty, and versatile. You may have seen it used as a base for a pasta dish. However, I think it makes an excellent pedestal for a seasonal tomato salad in this case. Here, I served it on a platter with endive leaves and crostini.

My favorite thing about making whipped feta is that it only takes 5 minutes. You just toss a few ingredients in the food processor or blender and let it whirl. It’s an easy, cold dish to prep for guests.

How To Make My Whipped Feta with Tomato, Radish & Cucumber Salad

Mise En Place

4-6 radishes – sliced thinly
15 – 20 cherry tomatoes – each cut in half
1 English cucumber – thinly sliced into rounds
1 handful Fresh chives and parsley – chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
salt and pepper – to your taste
1-2 cloves of garlic – minced
7 oz block of feta cheese
1 cup whole milk plain yogurt, or Greek yogurt

Mix together the Salad

Start this dish by stirring together all of the prepped vegetables and herbs. Next drizzle in the olive oil and rice vinegar. To your taste, season the salad with salt and pepper.

I recommend making the salad first. Because, while you make the whipped feta, the water from the cucumbers and tomatoes will drain to bottom of the bowl. This will ensure your overall dish isn’t ruined by excessive liquids. Waiting also allows for the vegetables to marinate; really taking in the acidity of the rice vinegar and the flavors of the fresh herbs.

Whip the Feta

While the salad rests, you’ll need to make the whipped feta. This step is very simple! In a food processor or blender, combine the feta cheese, garlic and yogurt until smooth. I prefer not to add any salt because the feta is salty by nature.

Plate Your Salad and Feta Mix

Lastly, you’ll plate your prepped foods for serving. You can spoon the whipped feta in a platter or into individual bowls. Then top the feta with the salad. I do recommend draining the salad a bit before adding to the feta.

All in All

I’ll be making persistently this all summer long. This is a great dish for entertaining! I think serving along side toasted crostini and endive works well. The creamy feta and medley of fresh vegetables were easy to scoop up and paired well.

Enjoy!

If you’re anxious for summer too, checkout these dishes:

Whipped Feta with Cucumber, Tomato and Radish Salad

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20

Course Appetizer, Salad, Sauces and Dips

Cuisine Mediterranean

Ingredients

4-6 radishes sliced thinly
15 – 20 cherry tomatoes each halved
1 English cucumber thinly sliced in rounds
1 handful Fresh chives and parsley chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Whipped Feta

7 oz block feta cheese
1 cup whole milk plain yogurt or Greek yogurt if preferred
1 – 2 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers, oil, vinegar, and chopped herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. All salad to marinate for about 10-15 minutes. Drain off excess liquid.
Using a food processor, whip together the feta cheese, yogurt and garlic for about 1-2 minutes.
Spread whipped feta onto a platter or plates. Next spoon the salad mixture onto the whipped feta and serve immediately.

Keyword cucumber, feta, radish, salad, tomato, whipped

Sorrel and Basil Pesto: Easy use of garden herbs

Sorrel and basil are combined with the popular ingredients of pesto to create a creamy and delicious sauce. Instead of pine nuts, the earthy taste of walnuts are used. This pesto is great for tossing into pasta or spread on bread for a sandwich.

Why Sorrel and Basil?

As we transition to fall, I feel lucky to make one of my favorite sauces. I could probably eat pesto every day, and my garden is giving me so many fresh ingredients to make pesto before it retires for the winter. The use of sorrel in this recipe pairs well with traditional basil because of it’s lemony flavor that gives it a special brightness.

As a home gardener, sorrel was my favorite addition to our yard this year. It’s a pretty hardy perennial that required very little maintenance. I planted mine in a large bucket because I was pregnant and running low on energy at the time. I plan to transplant it to a more permanent spot in one of my garden beds soon. If you’re a gardener too, here’s a helpful article I found about sorrel.

Here, I tossed together fettuccini noodles, peas and this pesto for a meal. I topped the dish with seasoned breadcrumbs to make it a “pangrattato”.

Mise En Place

Sorrel – rinsed, dried and lightly torn
Basil – rinsed and dried
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese – grated
Garlic – lightly chopped
Walnuts
Lemon Juice
Sea Salt

How to make Sorrel and Basil Pesto

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add all of the ingredients.
Blend until smooth.
If desired, add additional oil and blend until mixture is thinned and the consistency you like.

Tips for making this pesto

This recipe makes 3/4 cup of pesto.
If you prefer your pesto to be thinner, turn blender back on and slowly dribble in more oil until it reaches the desired consistency.
Can’t find walnuts? Try using pine nuts or pecans instead.

All in All

I love having a go-to pesto to make right in my own kitchen. The “icing on the cake” is being able to use fresh foods right from my own yard. Pesto can be versatile if you are brave enough to stray away from the traditional ingredients and this recipe was perfect for my taste. I think I need to incorporate this pesto into my Chicken, Spinach and Pesto Lasagna very soon!

Sorrel and Basil Pesto

5 from 10 votes

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Prep Time 10

Course Sauces and Dips

Cuisine Italian

Equipment

Food Processor
Measuring Cups and Spoons

Ingredients

2 cups fresh sorrel
1/3 cup walnuts
1 cup basil leaves
1 large garlic clove
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil extra virgin

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor or blender.
Blend for 2-3 minutes on a slow speed until the herbs and nuts are finely minced and mixture is smooth.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator.

Notes

This recipe makes 3/4 cup of pesto.

If you prefer your pesto to be thinner, turn blender back on and slowly dribble in more oil until it reaches the desired consistency.

Can’t find walnuts? Try using pine nuts or pecans instead.

Keyword dip, pesto, sauce

Asparagus Pesto

This asparagus pesto is vibrant, healthy, and best of all, fresh. Toss this bright sauce in pasta or use as a topping for appetizers.

No Basil? No problem.

If you’re like me, you may be most familiar with (and slightly addicted to) the classic basil pesto. Classic basil pesto is also called Pesto alla Genovese. It includes a combination of basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil. I recently learned that classic basil pesto is most traditionally made using a mortar and pestle. This sent me down a rabbit hole of pesto history that will definitely be shared in an upcoming post.

As for this asparagus pesto recipe, it is a spin on traditional pesto. This recipe includes pine nuts, olive oil, finely grated Parmesan, garlic and instead of basil, asparagus. The sauce also incorporates fresh lemon for acidity that compliments the asparagus well.

Ingredients for asparagus pesto recipe — Mise en place: Asparagus, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic.

Techniques to know for this recipe:

Blanch: Parboil in water or steam; cooking stops by submerging food into a cold water bath.
Toast: Make food hot or browned using heat
Puree: Make a paste or thick liquid by blending foods together.

Blanching: Parboiled asparagus submerged in ice water bath.

Pine nuts toasting in dry pan — Toasting: Heating pine nuts over medium heat in a dry pan.

Pureed food in a food processor bowl. — Pureeing: Ingredients were blended together into a paste like consistency using a food processor.

As mentioned earlier, I learned that a mortar and pestle is most traditionally used to make pesto. I used my food processor to make this recipe. The cooking time is minimal for this. If you have a good blender, it will work fine too. The idea is to blend and puree the ingredients into the paste-like consistency that we love about pesto.

I love how bright green this asparagus pesto is. Blanching the asparagus allows the asparagus to get cooked just enough with being soggy or losing it’s flavor and beautiful color.

Pesto Nuts

There are many pesto recipes that call for various types of nuts such as walnuts, pistachios, or pecans. For this pesto I use pine nuts. You can find pine nuts at most grocery stores these days. Lightly toasting the pine nuts in a dry pan first brings out more flavor and therefore deepens the flavor of the pesto. Be careful not to toast the nuts for more than a few minutes as they do burn easily.

Raw pine nuts in glass bowl — Pine nuts have several health benefits and are a traditional pesto ingredient.

How I Used This Sauce

I tossed about a cup of the pesto into a shrimp pasta dish. It was delicious! My husband really enjoyed it too. I think my toddler enjoyed the bright color and messiness, all while getting a small dose of vegetables into his diet.

Shrimp Pasta tossed with asparagus pesto.

I also made a healthy little snack by topping crostinis with the pesto. I plan on using this for future parties or barbeques and dressing it up a little bit with garnish. I think people will enjoy it as an appetizer. It will especially be a cooling treat for events hosted on the deck. Overall, this asparagus pesto kept well in the fridge for about 3 days making it a good recipe to make ahead.

Crostini with asparagus pesto — Crostini topped with asparagus pesto.

Other ways you could use asparagus pesto:

Use as a sandwich condiment
Toss in your favorite pasta
Use it as a pizza or flatbread sauce
As a dip

What other ways could you use this sauce in your cooking repertoire?

Asparagus Pesto

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Cook Time 20

Total Time 20

Course Appetizer

Ingredients

1 pound asparagus
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
zest of half a lemon
juice of half a lemon about 2 Tablespoons
salt and pepper (to taste)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese optional

Instructions

Cut woodsy ends of asparagus off and discard. Chopped asparagus into 2 inch pieces.
Blanch asparagus: Bring pot of water to a boil, cook asparagus 5-6 minutes until tender. Strain asparagus and add to bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Let sit in ice bath for 1-2 minutes and then drain.
Toast pine nuts: In a dry skillet, cook pine nuts over medium heat for no more than 3 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. Remove from skillet.
In food processor, blend together the cooked asparagus, toasted pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, dash of salt, and dash of pepper until pureed.
If desired, add parmesan cheese and blend for one more minute. You may need to add another tablespoon of olive oil if mixture is too thick for your preference.
Use pesto immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Keyword sauce