Greek Spreads Recipe

Prepare Chickpeas

Drain the canned chickpeas, reserving 2–4 tablespoons of the liquid. Rinse briefly under cold water. For a silkier hummus, optionally remove a few skins by pinching the chickpeas between your fingers.

Blend Base

In a food processor, combine chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and kosher salt. Pulse until coarsely combined.

Emulsify

With the processor running, stream in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add 1–2 tablespoons reserved chickpea liquid or cold water and continue processing until very smooth, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Adjust texture with additional liquid (1 teaspoon at a time) if needed.

Season and Serve

Taste and adjust salt, lemon or garlic as desired. Spoon into a serving bowl, make a shallow well, drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on top and sprinkle paprika for garnish.

Soak the bread: Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small bowl. Add milk or water and let soak for 2 minutes, then squeeze out excess liquid so bread is just moist.

Combine and purée: In a small food processor or blender, combine the tarama (fish roe), soaked bread, lemon juice, olive oil and grated red onion (if using). Blitz until smooth and creamy. If too thick, add a teaspoon of water or oil to reach desired consistency.

Season and rest: Taste and season with black pepper and a little extra lemon if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and let rest 15 minutes for flavors to meld. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil before serving.

Combine ingredients: In a food processor, combine crumbled feta, Greek yogurt, roasted red pepper, hot red pepper flakes, olive oil, garlic (if using) and lemon juice.

Process to texture: Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth but still has a bit of texture (you can leave it chunkier if preferred). Scrape down the sides and taste; adjust heat with more pepper flakes or mellow with more yogurt if too sharp.

Finish: Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle a little olive oil on top, sprinkle a pinch of black pepper and chopped parsley if desired.

Prep and grill pita: Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high. Brush both sides of each pita lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a little flaky salt. Grill pita 30–60 seconds per side until warmed and slightly charred in spots. Alternatively, warm directly over a gas flame with tongs for a few seconds per side.

Cut and arrange: Slice each pita into wedges. Spoon hummus, taramosalata and tyrokafteri into separate bowls. Arrange dips on a communal platter with grilled pita wedges, lemon wedges and chopped parsley for garnish.

Serve: Encourage guests to squeeze lemon as desired over dips or pita. Leftover dips keep refrigerated in airtight containers: hummus 4–5 days, taramosalata 2–3 days, tyrokafteri 3–4 days.