Secrets of Great Second Meals

The Quick Yogurt Dip

You don’t have to have a dinner party, you know. Dinner parties call for forethought and the washing-up of many dishes. But don’t put off seeing your friends in person because you don’t have the energy to make dinner. They want to be with you, even for a short after-work drink and a bag of potato chips. If you have something to dip the chips into as well, I’m sure they will appreciate it—and this dip is a delicious reframing of cooked spinach, chard, or kale. (One reason it’s always a good idea to cook some extra greens while the pot is hot.)

If you’re still having fun when dinnertime rolls around, you can always order pizza.

Extra ingredient: cooked spinach or other greens

Time: 10 minutes (10 minutes active)

Makes 4 to 6 appetizer servings

1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to garnish

1 large shallot, sliced ⅛ inch thick

Fine sea salt, black pepper, and Aleppo pepper to taste

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 cup cooked spinach, well-squeezed and chopped

2 tablespoons minced dill

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or asiago, optional

Crostini, chips, crudités, or crackers, to serve

1. If you’ve thought of it earlier, dump the yogurt into a coffee filter–lined strainer and let it sit over a bowl for an hour or so to drain extra water out. If you don’t have time, don’t sweat it; you’ll just need to stir the dip more often.

2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt, stir, and cook until the shallots are tender and some of their ends are lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 30 seconds. Scoop onto a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, chop the shallot mixture.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, shallot mixture, and the cooking oil from the pan, plus the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, spinach, dill, and Parmigiano, if you have it on hand. Stir well and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and Aleppo pepper to taste. The dip can be made a day ahead of time; stir well before serving.

VARIATIONS

Make it richer. If you have sour cream or crème fraîche around, you can use that instead of yogurt.
Swap out the greens. You can use other tender cooked/steamed/braised greens, such as Aromatic Braised Chard and Kale, instead of spinach.
Work in some vegetables. You can add other cooked vegetables in place of or along with some of the spinach. Try roasted carrots, shredded beets, or finely chopped grilled asparagus.
Use it as a sandwich base. Slather some of the spread beneath smoked salmon or cold rare roast beef.
Use it as an omelet filling. A spoonful or two inside an omelet gives the eggs a creamy, cool burst at the center.