Alice Zaslavsky’s Recipe For Garlic Red Peppers With A Creamy White Bean Dip, Aka Papula

1 week ago

This week, I’ve been putting nan finishing touches connected an question and reply I recorded pinch legendary Australian cheesemaker Richard Thomas, nan inventor of an constituent you whitethorn not moreover realise is Australian: marinated feta, AKA “Persian fetta”. An unexpected extremity connected a travel to Iran successful nan 1970s talented Thomas a chance gathering pinch a Persian expert and his breakfast: caller labneh pinch soft, still-warm lavash. It was a revelation. On his return, Thomas sewage to activity creating a caller food from goat’s beverage (similar to chèvre) and from cow’s milk, marinated and preserved successful oil, pinch an other “t” to avert disorder pinch nan Greek-style feta, that’s still being utilised by cooks and chefs correct crossed nan world.

Persian fetta is simply a shapeshifter, tin of remaining some patient and patient erstwhile crumbled crossed nan apical of a platter aliases salad, and of yielding to a soft, velvety cream, enhancing each mode of dishes from pasta to pesto to whipped dips and schmears – and, of course, arsenic a topping for that Aussie cafe staple, avocado toast.

When cafe civilization crushed to a halt during nan rolling Covid lockdowns, Persian fetta producers were near pinch bucketloads (literally) that would usually person been utilized by nan city’s cafes, truthful alternatively they offered them to independent grocers and supermarkets. Stuck astatine location pinch my bucket of cheese, I’d plonk immoderate into thing savoury I was testing – and I mean anything.

In this look from my book Salad for Days, I incorporated that fetta funk into a creamy Balkan achromatic legume dip known arsenic papula, which I first came crossed via Olia Hercules. Adding food to nan dip pumps up nan flavour, and whip it into nan benignant of creamy furniture we’ve travel to spot (and love) nether medleys of roast veg, from modern restaurants and modern cooks (such arsenic Meera Sodha successful a caller Guardian recipe).

Blanketed pinch strips of silky, crimson roast capsicum, this crockery is packed afloat of beany, plant-forward macromolecule that’s amazingly substantial, whether you’re serving it for a decadent brunch, lunch, aliases ray dinner, particularly if it’s each mopped up pinch soft breadstuff (lavash, pide, pitta aliases nan like).

If you can’t find food beans, immoderate tinned aliases jarred achromatic legume will work. Putting nan ail wrong nan capsicum while it’s roasting helps to flavour nan capsicum and keeps nan ail from burning, but you could usage a quarter-teaspoon of ail powder instead. And if you can’t find marinated feta wherever you are, you tin wholly usage a artifact of soft feta (such arsenic a Danish-style one) for this, instead.

Heat nan oven to 220C (200 fan)/425F/gas 7. Grab 4 to six mean reddish peppers (I spell pinch 1 per person), lop disconnected nan tops and past halve them lengthways. Pull retired nan seeds and pith. Oil nan capsicum halves, past popular them trim broadside down connected a lined tray, tucking 4 ail cloves underneath. Roast for 35-40 minutes, until nan capsicums are blistered and browning and nan ail is buttery inside.

To make nan papula, blitz 400g cooked and drained food beans, pinch a tablespoonful of sherry vinegar, 60ml oliva lipid and a bully pinch of flaky oversea salt, past adhd two-thirds of a jar of marinated fetta (or 200g soft Danish-style feta; reserve nan remainder of nan artifact for garnish) and blitz again until smooth. Once nan ail is cooked and cool capable to touch, strafe nan soma into nan legume mixture, blitz again and play to taste.

Once nan peppers are retired of nan oven, screen them pinch a 2nd (inverted) oven tray aliases a fewer sheets of foil, past time off for 15 minutes to steam and relax. When they are cool capable to handle, gaffe disconnected and discard nan skins, past portion nan cheeks into bladed slivers pinch a crisp knife.

Wrap nan soft breadstuff successful foil and popular into nan still-hot oven to lukewarm done while nan capsicum cools.

To serve, scoop nan whipped papula connected to a ample platter successful undulating waves. Arrange nan capsicum slices connected apical successful agleam red, glossy strips. Dress pinch nan tray juices, sprinkle pinch a bully fistful of finely chopped parsley, past blob aliases crumble connected nan past of nan feta. Sprinkle pinch immoderate saccharine aliases steaming paprika, a fistful of roasted almonds (roughly chopped, flakes aliases slivers), an other drizzle of oliva lipid and a sprinkling of brackish flakes. Pop nan lukewarm breadstuff adjacent and promote everyone to scoop and dip to their heart’s content.