"Just bring something." That's the refrain many of us hear. Whether it's a meeting, a social gathering or goodness knows what, eventually our fall-back recipe, whether it's devilled eggs or Julia's mushrooms alla Grecque, doesn't wow 'em any more. Or, just as likely, it doesn't wow you any more. There's only so many times you can make almost anything before it becomes a chore, not a gift to the people you're feeding.
I'm a big believer in dips. In catering circles, sometimes they're referred to as slathers, served with those short, fat spreaders and small slices of bread, and that's fine, but most folks think of them as going with chips or crudites. In fact, one non-cooking bachelor friend of ours I've always encouraged to bring vegetables to this sort of function so I can have an excuse to bring a couple of dips. (Chips are great, and I love them, but cutting up vegetables to go with dip is my idea of punishment.)
And so I've come up with a couple of new options, both of which went over well with my most recent testing group. This is the simpler of the two.
I kept reading that Bulgarian feta is the best, so I got some at Global Foods in Kirkwood. And it's just what I think of when I dream of feta, creamy and rich and soft but not falling apart. And I had no qualms about using reduced fat sour cream with this. I can imagine this going well with cucumbers or cherry tomatoes, in particular.
FETA DIP
8 oz. feta cheese
1 c. sour cream
3 very thinly sliced green onions (save some of the green for a garnish)
Break up the feta with a fork or a pastry blender (at last: another use for them!). It doesn't need to be perfectly smooth, but smaller lumps are what you're aiming for. Stir in the sour cream until it's well mixed and then most of the onions.
I can't imagine you'll need more salt, but you might consider lemon juice, black pepper or a very light shot of Tabasco to season this with. Just taste and consider.
Yields about a cup and a half.