Turkish White Cheese Spread with Herbs and Peppers Recipe
This spread is a creamy combination of white cheese, yogurt, peppers, and fresh herbs that in Turkey often appears on the breakfast table alongside olives and tomatoes. It’s spread on bread or used as a dip for vegetable sticks, a bit like a Greek feta dip, but milder and fluffier. It also works great on a party table as a quick snack for nibbling.
This spread combines the light, fluffy texture of whipped white cheese with the freshness of herbs and crunch of red pepper, bringing a Turkish breakfast classic into your kitchen with just a few simple ingredients.
Chef's tips
For the best texture, make sure to crumble the cheese very finely before mixing in the yogurt. If your cheese is very firm, you can briefly blend the mixture with a hand blender to make it extra smooth and airy.
How to serve
Serve as part of a mezze-style spread with olives, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and warm pita or crusty bread. It also works well as a sandwich filling with extra fresh herbs and lettuce.
Ingredients
- semi-fat white cheese can be feta-style, but milder - 200 g
- thick plain yogurt about 1 small cup - 120 g
- red bell pepper finely chopped - 0.5 pieces
- chives chopped - 2 tablespoons
- dill chopped - 1 tablespoon
- flat-leaf parsley chopped - 1 tablespoon
- garlic pressed through a garlic press - 1 clove
- lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
- olive oil for the spread - 1 tablespoon
- sweet paprika powder - 0.5 teaspoons
- salt to taste, carefully if the cheese is salty
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- bread or pita bread for serving - 4 slices
- cucumber cut into sticks, for dipping - 1 piece
Preparation
- Crumble the white cheese into a bowl with a fork, breaking it up as finely as possible so there are no large lumps.
- Add the plain yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, pressed garlic, and sweet paprika. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or a hand mixer on low speed until you get a smooth, creamy mixture.
- Cut the red pepper into very small dice. Finely chop the chives, dill, and parsley.
- Add the pepper and herbs to the bowl with the cheese and gently mix to distribute the additions evenly.
- Season the spread with salt (if the cheese is salty, add it very carefully) and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and, if needed, add a little more lemon juice.
- Refrigerate the spread for at least 30 minutes so the flavors meld and the mixture thickens slightly. Serve with bread and cucumber sticks for dipping.
Storage
Pastę przechowuj w szczelnym pojemniku w lodówce; przed podaniem wyjmij na 10 minut, aby lekko się ogrzała i stała się bardziej miękka.
