I am wearing shorts today…in London… and that is not a small feat. Sure it clouded over as soon as I got outside ready to pre-tan for our trip to Italy in a few of days, but the sun was OUT.
Perhaps it was not long enough to truly celebrate summer but I am choosing to be optimistic. And in order to stay faithful to my resolve to stay optimistic we are barbecuing tonight.
The meat’s been marinating for hours, the cider is properly chilled and the mood is edging more toward holiday and Italy and less towards the reminder that I still have 3 days of work left.
I don’t know about you but when I celebrate I need a good dip – unless it’s a fancy kind of celebration then it’s caviar. Just kidding. (Not really, actually, I do love caviar!)
This dip is an updated version of the dip I made a while back. It is inspired by the flavours of my childhood.
Walnuts are widely used all over Eastern Europe and the Caucuses. I got the idea for cilantro and walnut dip from one of my Russian cookbooks.
In that book, there are a few recipes featuring the ingredients together for various sauces and salad dressings. I simply added some cream cheese and adjusted the consistency to turn it into a dip, because what is a barbecue without a dip and some tasty dunkers.
If you like hummus you will love this zesty, chockfull of flavour and vitamins dip. You will also be so impressed with the vibrant colours and the bold taste!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup- walnuts
- 1 1/4 cups- cilantro
- 1- lemon juice of
- 2 tbsp.- white wine vinegar
- 2-3- garlic cloves
- 1 cup/250 gr- cream cheese cottage cheese or farmer's cheese
- 1-2 tbsp- water
- 4 tbsp- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Instructions
- Put all ingredients except for olive oil in a food processor and process until smooth.
- Scrape the side of the food processor and process for 1-2 minutes longer.
- With the motor of the food processor running pour in olive oil through the shoot and blend for 1 more minute until creamy.
- Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Serve with a variety of vegetables, crackers or corn chips.
amariken says
made this dip, hollowed out a red pepper and served with veggies, rave reviews, for me personally I will stick with 2 cloves of garlic next time, delicious
vikalinka says
Happy to hear it was a success. Thank you for reporting back, I love when people try my recipes and let me me know how they turned out! 🙂
Natasha of Natashaskitchen.com says
This does sound so so good! have you tried using anything besides Walnuts? My son would love this but he doesn’t eat walnuts. Pinning this one for sure!
vikalinka says
I would use pine nuts or cashews instead, Natasha. They have a similar creamy texture when blended. It’s also tasty as a spread on a sandwich or a burger. 🙂 thank you for pinning!!!
Jocelyn@Brucrewlife says
This dip sounds like the perfect dip for a picnic!! I love the thought of cilantro and walnut together! 🙂
vikalinka says
Thank you, Jocelyn! I love the walnut and cilantro combo so much!
vikalinka says
Doesn’t warm weather make everything better!! Even food tastes more delicious. 🙂
laurasmess says
Oh yay! Warmer weather has finally arrived (sort of…!). Hopefully it’s just a sign of glorious sunny days to come. As for this gorgeous dip? Ah my gosh, amazing! I definitely would devour this by the spoonful (being another lover of cilantro or coriander, as we call it over here!) xxx
sue/the view from great island says
I know I would love this, walnuts have such a deep earthy flavor! One of my favorite pasta sauces is basically just walnuts ground up with ricotta cheese. Have a blast in Italy!
vikalinka says
I love walnuts for the same exact reason! In fact, I tasted the dip after I just made it and then added more walnuts because I wanted more of their flavour to shine through.
Katya @ Little Broken says
This looks absolutely delicious! I love, love, cilantro so I will have to try this one.
vikalinka says
I am such a cilantro addict myself, I add it to everything!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
What a great recipe for summer bbqs, I love the cilantro!
vikalinka says
Yay for summer and eating outside! It’s finally warm enough here. 🙂