Looking for an easy, basic and tasty appetizer? Look no further! This recipe is a snap to put together and quite versatile as well. Use it as a spread for crackers, as a dip with crudité and if you have any leftover, try it on your bagels in the morning. The choice is yours, you can’t go wrong and it is delicious for all three.
INGREDIENTS
4-5 radishes, halved
4-6 scallions, reserve a few for garnish
1 stick celery
1/2 bell pepper, seeded (I prefer red, hence the pink tint)
1/4 hothouse cucumber, seeded
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature, cubed
pinch kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. sour cream or greek yogurt, if needed to thin mixture
DIRECTIONS
First, roughly chop each of the first five ingredients. This is merely to get them ready for the food processor, because it’s easier to pulse them when they are in smaller pieces.
With the metal blade in place, add all the vegetables to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. Don’t overdo the pulsing, unless of course you like a smoother texture. Personally, I prefer a bit more texture; you do what works for you.
Next, add the cream cheese and pulse until combined, but not too smooth. Alternatively, you do the final mixing by hand, as long as the cream cheese is soft enough. That will maintain the thick texture a bit better. Do make sure that the cream cheese is room temperature, it makes the mixing so much easier. If it seems too thick for you, add the yogurt and/or sour cream.
Season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste. Finally, just cover and refrigerate to allow the ingredients to meld. Serve with crudité, crackers, and/or some breadsticks.
NOTES
This tends to be a bit thick, so if you prefer a thinner consistency to use as a crudité dip, then add the yogurt and/or sour cream. Alternatively, instead of adding yogurt, you could just add a little more cucumber, which is quite liquidy and would loosen it up, to dip consistency. Be creative, there is no wrong way and don’t be afraid to swap out a few things if you don’t have them or don’t like them. That being said, I have made this oodles of times, as written and it is a delicious winner.
