Tirokafteri Recipe (Feta Dip) to Bring Some Greek Magic to Your Mezze

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Look no further than our tirokafteri recipe to bring a Greek cheese dip packed with flavor, and just the right amount of heat, to your spread for an upcoming feast or dinner party.

Tirokafteri Recipe (Feta Dip)

Gloriously creamy, this classic Greek dip, and a favorite mezze dish, combines the tanginess of feta with the heat of chili pepper for a deep and intense tasting experience. Spoon up a sizeable dollop with a torn piece of feta, and prepare for your eyes to roll into the back of your head from the moment this thick spread graces your lips and oozes onto your tongue.

What is Tirokafteri?

Also known as ktipiti in other parts of Greece, tirokafteri is a creamy soft cheese dip of Greek origin. Traditionally, the recipe combines a soft white cheese, often feta cheese, with a number of classic Mediterranean ingredients, including peppers, Greek yogurt, and olive oil.

A popular choice of dish on a mezze platter, you can enjoy this rich and creamy dip, with a welcome undertone of heat, on freshly baked pita bread, along with plenty of grilled meats and vegetables.

Recipe Ingredients

To make our tirokafteri Greek dip, you’ll first need to assemble the following ingredients:

• Feta Cheese – 10.5 oz (300 grams, about 2 and 1/3 cups when crumbed)
• Red Bell Pepper – 1 small red bell pepper, roasted
• Greek Yogurt – 1/3 cup full-fat greek yogurt
• Chili Pepper – 1/2 mild chili pepper, optionally roasted
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – 3 tbsp
• Garlic – 1 garlic clove

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 – Crumble the feta.

Note that if you want to make this recipe quickly, you can choose to use a jarred roasted red pepper and fresh chili pepper. In which case, go to step 3 now.

Step 2 – (Optional) Roast the peppers.

We chose to roast our peppers at home. If you want to roast the peppers yourself, preheat your oven to 220°C (430°F), add the peppers to a roasting dish, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle salt, and bake them for about 20 minutes for the chili pepper and 25-30 minutes for the bell peppers until you have a nice charred skin on both. Wait for them to cool and peel them, ready to use in step 3.

Step 3 – Blend the roasted red bell pepper, half of the chili pepper(without the seeds), minced garlic, and yogurt using a blender, a food processor, or an immersion blender and a bowl (as pictured below).

Step 4 – Combine the pepper-yogurt mixture with the olive oil and mix with a spatula.

Step 5 – Add in the feta cheese, breaking it down with the spatula.

Serving Suggestions

Pita Bread – Once it’s ready, spoon the dip onto a plate or into a bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil, and to do as the Greeks do, serve it with a fresh batch of pita bread for a dipping combination of majestic proportions.

You can also try it with:

Grilled or Crusty Bread – If you can’t find pita, try this dip with lots of other types of bread. You could even serve it with breadsticks.

Raw Vegetables – Carrot and celery sticks, among many others, are great for dipping into this sauce.

Grilled Meats – Try a generous spoonful of this dip over kebab meat, or meat that has just come off the grill.

This truly is Greek cuisine at its simplest yet most flavorful. Tirokafteri is loaded with some classic Mediterranean flavors, with each thick and creamy mouthful treating you to a delicately balanced amount of saltiness, tanginess, and heat. This dip is a real crowd-pleaser and a great addition to a large feast or spread.

Tirokafteri Recipe Card

Tirokafteri (Feta Dip)

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Additional Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 5 minutes mins

Author: Nomad Paradise

Course: Appetizers

Cuisine: Greek

Ingredients

• 10.5 oz feta cheese 300 grams, about 2 and 1/3 cups when crumbed
• 1 small red bell pepper roasted
• 1/3 cup greek yoghurt
• 1/2 mild chili pepper optionally roasted
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove minced

Instructions

• Crumble the feta.
• (Optional) Roast the peppers. If you want to make this recipe quickly, you can choose to use a jarred roasted red pepper and fresh chili pepper and skip this step. We chose to roast our peppers at home. If you want to roast the peppers yourself, preheat your oven to 220°C (430°F), add the peppers to a roasting dish, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle salt, and bake them for about 20 minutes for the chili pepper and 25-30 minutes for the bell peppers until you have a nice charred skin on both. Wait for them to cool and peel them, ready to use in step 3.
• Blend the roasted red bell pepper, half of the chili pepper(without the seeds), minced garlic, and yogurt using a blender, a food processor, or an immersion blender and a bowl.
• Combine the pepper-yogurt mixture with the olive oil and mix with a spatula.
• Add in the feta cheese, breaking it down with the spatula. Once it’s ready, spoon the dip onto a plate or into a bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil, and to do as the Greeks do, serve it with a fresh batch of pita bread for a dipping combination of majestic proportions.

Recipe Notes

The amount of chili pepper to be added depends on how spicy the chili pepper is and how spicy you like the dish to be. We recommend starting with 1/2 chili without the seeds, and, if you still want more heat, add in more at the end.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @nomadparadisefood or tag #nomadparadisefood!

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