Mediterranean Cheese Spread
"This recipe came from my mother-in-law...she served it one night and was a huge hit. I used fat free cream cheese to cut back on the fat/calories a bit, but feel free to use the regular cream cheese. This is great served with pretty much any type of cracker or warmed/toasted pita!"
- Ready In:
- 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 8
- Serves:
-
14-16
ingredients
- 8 ounces feta cheese
- 16 ounces fat free cream cheese
- 1 red pepper, ground in food processor
- 1 cup kalamata olives or 1 cup black olives, pitted and ground in food processor
- 3 tablespoons capers
- 1⁄3 cup chopped fresh basil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3⁄4 cup roasted pine nuts
directions
- Beat cream cheese and feta with mixer until smooth.
- Grind red pepper and olives in food processor until blended. Drain this mixture of as much moisture as possible.
- Mix cheese mixture and olive mixture with a spoon and add capers, basil and garlic.
- Shape cheese mixture into a ball - cover and chill at least 3 hours. This can also be made and frozen for future use -- but be sure to freeze without the pine nuts.
- Roll in toasted nuts just before serving.
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Reviews
-
The flavour of this recipe gets 10 stars easily- looking through the ingredients list I knew I'd love it and I did. The only reason it lost a star in the rating is because it came out the consistency of a dip rather than solid enough to shape into a cheeseball. I pushed the red pepper/ olive mix into a sieve which worked really well to drain as much liquid as possible. I used low fat feta as well as fat free cream cheese and followed the rest as written. I'll certainly try it again, perhaps with half the cream cheese so it can be shaped as it would be brilliant to serve to company. Made for PAC Spring 2012. -
Wow, this is absolutely delicious! This dish makes a beautiful presentation piece with crackers and/or pit bread and it is substantial enough to serve at a party or gathering. It is easy to make and I plan to keep it on hand for my family to snack on. I won't be wasting my time buying commercial spreads as this one far exceeds any I have had previously. Thanks for such a great recipe. Made for PAC, 2011.
