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Spinach-Yogurt Dip With Sizzled Mint

Spinach yogurt dip with sizzled mint
Photo by Alex Lau

Our version of this dip (calledborani esfanaajin Iran) uses spinach, but it can be made with cooked beets or roasted eggplant, too.

Ingredients

4 servings

1 cup walnuts
8 ounces baby spinach (about 10 cups)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons dried mint
3 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Let cool; finely crush with the side of a chef’s knife.

    Step 2

    Place a medium skillet over medium heat and add 1/2 cup water. As soon as you see bubbles, add one-third of the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the spinach is wilted, then add more. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all the spinach is in the pan and wilted, 6–8 minutes. Transfer spinach to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and lock in its bright green color. Drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Finely chop spinach and set aside.

    Step 3

    Wipe out skillet and heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until soft but without taking on any color, 6–8 minutes. Add garlic and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is softened, 2–3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.

    Step 4

    Heat remaining 4 Tbsp. oil in a small skillet over medium. Once oil begins to shimmer, remove from heat and stir in dried mint. The oil will sizzle immediately and the mint will become fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl; season with salt.

    Step 5

    Combine yogurt, lemon juice, onion mixture, half of the walnuts, and reserved spinach in a medium bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Scrape 
into a shallow serving bowl and use the back of a spoon to carve a few swirls into the dip. Top with remaining walnuts and spoon sizzled mint oil over.

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  • 1 + 1 doesn't always equal 2. This recipe requires an insane amount of prep time and is terribly complicated for what you create. The overall end result was bland, with that bitterness from the walnut and essentially nothing. We sprinkled a ton of salt on top to save it so we could eat it with pita. My suggestion is to make the standard spinach dip recipe that uses frozen blanched spinach (I can't believe I am suggesting this), leave out the nuts, and add the garlic and oil to the top. That seems safe and will result in something edible.

    • millermeester

    • Seattle

    • 4/7/2020

  • This might be ok served with meat but I did not like it as a dip in the least. Despite liking all of the components, this just didn’t work for me. Two stars was generous :(

    • jenlcordes

    • MD

    • 4/8/2019

  • Easy, I used pine nuts instead of walnuts since I like them better. Pretty healthy and delicious.

    • skhercules

    • Denver

    • 12/28/2018

  • Delicious and pretty easy

    • bags2007

    • 4/15/2018

  • Excellent starter on its own with some pita bread or to accompany lamb, for example. A hit for us!

    • luzac

    • Montreuil France

    • 3/14/2018

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