Yoghurt & Spinach Dip, 'Borani Esfanaaj', in the Persian Manner
And you have an excellent hors d'oeuvre for your next dinner party.
Greek yogurt, olive oil, spinach, walnuts, dried mint and garlic -- are all it takes to make this great dip.
First, a little spinach blanching. (And then draining, squeezing dry and chopping.)
Merrill crushes walnuts with the meat pounder.
Amanda chops the blanched and squeezed-dry spinach.
Merrill heating a little oil.
Adding half the garlic.
Amanda drops in the chopped spinach, just to warm through.
Isn't that a gorgeous color?
After letting the spinach cool, we added it to the yogurt, just as Shayma tells us to do.
Folding, folding, folding, and adding a little fresh garlic.
And then you spread the dip in a shallow plate, sprinkle it with dried mint, walnuts and olive oil.
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Author Notes: A borani is a cold yoghurt-based dish from Iran. But that is a bit of a boring piece of info, right? Well, apparently, it has been said that Poorandokht, the daughter of the Sassanian Persian King Khosrow Paravaiz, loved cold yoghurt-based dishes. When she was proclaimed Queen, the name Poorani was given to yoghurt-based dishes. Later on Poorani turned into Borani. I so do like to believe this story :) I love spinach and how it melds so well with yoghurt. This creamy appetiser is lovely with some lavash (flatbread from Iran) or some crisped-up-in-the-oven whole wheat pita bread. The combination of spinach, garlic, thick & creamy yoghurt, walnuts and mint, begs for a Pinot Gris from Alsace. Promise. - shayma
Food52 Review: Don’t let a little blanching stop you from making this wonderful dip. While it’s true that blanching spinach is a pain in the neck, once the water comes to a boil, the whole process is over in a minute, and then you’re well on your way to bliss. Shayma smartly heats the blanched and chopped spinach in a little garlic-scented oil and then adds more fresh garlic to the creamy, tangy dip. Our tips: Don’t worry about squeezing the spinach in step 4, unless it looks particularly soppy. Do use whole milk Greek yogurt -– the low-fat stuff will be watery and joyless. Use a wide shallow dish so you have room to spread out the dip, making a broad landing pad for the oil, mint and walnuts. And reach for your best olive oil for sprinkling over top. – A&M - A&M
Serves 2-4
- 2 packets baby (or regular) spinach, (6 oz packets)
- 1 clove garlic, minced and divided into two separate batches.
- 2 tbsp olive oil (not your best, but the type you use for sautéing)
- 2 small tubs very thick, drained yoghurt- I use Greek Yoghurt, 'Total Tage', (they come in a 5.3 oz tub).
- salt
- dried mint for garnish (please do use dried vs. fresh mint, therein lies the beauty of this dish- the use of a woodsy, earthy dried herb)
- handful crushed walnuts
- your best olive oil
- Blanch your baby spinach.
- Drain well, make sure to get all the liquid out. Chop fine.
- Sauté 1/2 clove of garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil and add the baby spinach. Add a pinch of salt. Stir for a few minutes.
- Remove from stove, allow to cool, then squeeze out any excess liquid.
- In a bowl, add yoghurt, 1/2 clove of minced garlic, baby spinach and stir gently. Add salt to taste.
- Transfer to the bowl you are serving it in (I use a shallow, round bowl) and sprinkle with dried mint, crushed walnuts and a lazy trail of olive oil.
- Serve with lavash or whole wheat pita. And don't forget the Pinot Gris :)
- Your Best Spinach Recipe Contest Winner!
Tags: gluten-free, Healthy, Holidays, iranian, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
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about 1 month ago beejay45
Would blanching the walnuts really ruin the dish? I love walnuts, but the skins make the roof of my mouth blister, and I'd love to make this. I can't see how subbing any other nut, except maybe pine nus, would compare though.
4 months ago Dani Renouf, RD, MSc, CDE
This is a great recipe! I made it with koufteh berenjee and grilled Persian zucchini the combination was delicious!
4 months ago Amy Stromberg
Made this today with pistachios instead of walnuts & dried oregano instead of mint - it was amazing!
4 months ago JanieMac
How wonderful this sounds, fully of wonderful simple things. Need to make it right now. Call it dinner.
4 months ago jifferb
I love how simple this is. And how it could be served before a dinner party or at a bbq. I didn't have any dried mint when i made this the first time but I do now and i can't wait to try it again! Fantastic recipe!
about 1 year ago serenity0055
Is it good if made in advance? Like 9 hrs prior?
about 1 year ago betty888
I made this for a tapas party this weekend. Really easy and super tasty. I used full-fat Greek yogurt and I do think that makes a big difference. The walnuts, mint and olive oil really elevate this to a more sophisticated level. My guests loved it.
about 1 year ago ubs2007
Fantastic recipe! Thank you so much! Big hit with adults and kids.
over 1 year ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I just made this for a FOOD52 book launch party (!!!), and just so everyone knows, I used a pound of well drained frozen chopped spinach and a cup of Fage Greek nonfat yogurt. And while it wasn't watery and insipid (as I imagine it might have been had I not used Greek yogurt), it was missing some flavor. So I added the juice and zest of a small lemon, and it was fine. Majorly delicious actually. Just in case, like me, you're thinking that this could be the only thing on your party menu that won't shut everyone's arteries down. You can use nonfat or lowfat Greek yogurt. Just be prepared to kick in some extra flavor.
about 2 years ago hennef7
I'd love to try this and have everything in my pantry except the spinach. Would frozen do in a pinch?
about 2 years ago chez_mere
This looks really easy but delicious. I can't wait to make it this summer with fresh herbs straight from our garden. I love healthy chip dips!
over 2 years ago cowanem
My kids, including the 5 year old polished this off within minutes. Certainly a keeper!!
over 2 years ago LazizaBites
all of your recipes look amazing....
over 2 years ago Mprize
Question for you....do you chop up the spinach before adding the yogurt, etc? It looks chopped in the picture but there's nothing specific in the steps. I plan on making this over the weekend...it looks and sounds delicious.
almost 2 years ago Cari
Hi Mprize,
Step 2 says to "Drain well, make sure to get all the liquid out. Chop fine."
over 2 years ago mosteff
absolutely delicious. if I hadn't cooked 18 other dishes for my son's birthday, I would have eaten the whole thing by myself. I can easily imagine fresh dill in this or any other seasonal fresh herbs.
over 2 years ago sunnyluz
Thinking about making this for a Thanksgiving appetizer. Would it keep until Thursday if I made it on Tuesday? And would pine nuts substitute for walnuts - my husband is allergic to the latter?
almost 3 years ago enbe
Made this for a party last night and it was a huge hit! We made it as an appetizer with a few other dips and there was just enough for our ~20 guests. Next time I'll use something crunchier than pita bread. Great recipe!!!!!
almost 3 years ago Aliwaks
Have a HUGE bunch of mint drying in the sun right now, this will be it's first use.
almost 3 years ago emmanation
I love that you specifically call for dried mint. I have a black thumb when it comes to herbs. Overall this looks stellar- yum!
almost 3 years ago TanyaVS
I'd just like to say that I LOVE this recipe. Since I found it, I make it constantly just for myself and everyone I make it for loves it too. Great for parties. Or I like it with Wheat Thins for an easy lunch. Just wanted to thank you for an excellent staple recipe and the best way to eat super healthy spinach!