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Layered Mediterranean Dip

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Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

 
Pretty, isn’t it? Think: Mediterranean version of the classic (and sometimes overdone) Mexican 7-layer dip. On the bottom there’s a fantastic cilantro-pecan pesto, then a generous dose of hummus, and a sprinkling of diced vegetables, feta cheese, and toasted pine nuts.

We recently became homeowners and threw a little housewarming party last weekend. I thought this dip would be a perfect addition to an appetizer spread. Oh, it was. There were compliments all over the place.

Can I just tell you how thankful I am to have this dip in my life? Just in time for the Super Bowl, too.

Who do we have to thank for this easy, drool-worthy Layered Mediterranean Dip? Tasty Kitchen member campgrandma, that’s who.

I can’t wait to relive this. Let’s get started!

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

I doubled the recipe, so these photos show larger quantities than the recipe calls for. Just so ya know.

First we’ll start on the pesto. You’ll need some chopped fresh cilantro, chopped pecans, pine nuts, grated Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh garlic and some extra-virgin olive oil.

I know there are a few out there who despise cilantro. First, my condolences. Second, you could probably substitute a mixture of fresh parsley and mint to complement the Greek/Mediterranean flavors.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

Pull out your food processor and throw in the cilantro.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

Then the garlic.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

Then a small amount of the olive oil.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

Give that a quick buzz until a paste forms. Scrape down the sides, too.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

Add the pecans.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

And the pine nuts.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

And the cheese.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

Buzz that up as well, stopping to scrape down the sides again.

Then turn on the food processor and add the remaining olive oil down the chute.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

I added a pinch of salt. Your mixture should be pretty runny by now.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

Like this. Pour it into a bowl, and set it aside while you prep the vegetables. You can do this step ahead and keep the pesto covered and chilled for five days or frozen for one month.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

Dice the onion, cucumber, and tomatoes. Crumble the feta, if needed. You may notice that there are olives missing. We don’t like olives—especially kalamata olives. (Return the condolences, if desired.) So I added something else in their place.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

Chopped peperoncini peppers. We love these. And they add a little kick to the dip, which we liked.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

Now the fun part! Grab a very shallow serving dish or platter. Spread the pesto on the dish in an even layer. I didn’t want it to get buried (it’s so pretty!), so I brought it within an inch or so of the edge of the platter.

Next, carefully spread the hummus in an even layer over the pesto. Depending on the hummus you use, it might be quite a bit thicker than the pesto.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

Time to sprinkle! I don’t think the order really matters, just get those cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, and feta sprinkled evenly. Oh, and the olives and/or peperoncini peppers, if you’re so inclined. I also added a drizzle of olive oil, just for kicks.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog Cilantro Pecan-Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip. Guest post by Natalie Perry of Perry's Plate, recipe submitted by TK member Beth (campgrandma) of Grandma B's Kitchen.

I added some extra grape tomatoes, a sprig or two of cilantro and some toasted pine nuts as additional garnishes. We served these with pita chips, carrots, cucumbers, and red bell pepper slices. And we all lived happily ever after.

Thank you Beth for a great addition to our appetizer menu! Visit her blog, Grandma B’s Kitchen, for more of her recipes.

 
 

Printable Recipe

Cilantro-Pecan Pesto Layered Mediterranean Dip

See post on campgrandma’s site!
4.66 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s)3 votes, average: 4.66 out of 53 votes, average: 4.66 out of 53 votes, average: 4.66 out of 53 votes, average: 4.66 out of 53 votes, average: 4.66 out of 5

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Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 12

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Description

If you love cilantro and fresh ingredients, this is the dip for you! It’s easy to adjust to your liking.

Ingredients

  • FOR THE PESTO:
  • 1-½ cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves
  • 2 cloves Garlic, Chopped
  • ⅓ cups Olive Oil, Divided
  • 2 Tablespoons Pecans, Chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons Pine Nuts
  • ¼ cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  • FOR THE REMAINING LAYERS:
  • 2 cups Hummus, Any Flavor (I Like To Use Roasted Red Pepper)
  • ½ cups Baby Cucumber, Chopped
  • ½ cups Red Onion, Chopped
  • ½ cups Kalamata Olives, Chopped
  • ½ cups Grape Tomatoes, Chopped
  • FOR GARNISH:
  • Pita Chips
  • Feta Cheese
  • Roasted Pine Nuts
  • Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

For the pesto:

Process cilantro, garlic and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor until a rough paste forms. Add pecans, pine nuts and cheese, and process until blended, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the processor running, pour the remaining oil through the food chute in a slow, steady stream; process until smooth.

Pesto can be chilled for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month, if desired. Yields 3/4 cup.

For assembling the layered dip:

Spread pesto on a platter. Layer the remaining ingredients on top of the pesto in the order listed. Top with the garnish ingredients.

Serve with pita chips.

 
 
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Be sure to check out Natalie’s own beautiful food blog, Perrys’ Plate, where you can see her growing collection of lovely recipes. There’s always something new to see there. Go visit now!

 
 

36 Comments

Comments are closed for this recipe.

Tricia on 3.18.2012

This looks amazing! How do you get the cucumbers cut so perfectly?

Bev Bailey on 3.12.2012

Reply to Suzanne
Just an FYI to all
I too have lived in the Med area (Greece & Israel) for several years. Neither country would know what cilantro or pecans are. As for pine nuts, I had pine tree, that bared nuts, in my garden in Israel and my Israeli neighbors would climb the low fence in front to pick up the pine cones. No personal space in either country. The pesto would be made from Italian flat leaf parsley & mint.

Philip on 2.12.2012

Made this last night for a house party everyone loved it I had to print off this page for one of my friends as she wanted to make it herself.
Really good thanks for the recipe :-)

gherkin on 2.9.2012

Wow – I have never heard of a Mexican 7 layer dip but this recipe looks awesome! I love traditional Italian pesto so this pecan/cilantro one looks very interesting! Can’t wait to try it out in a birthday party this weekend!

Susanna on 2.7.2012

Having lived in the Mediterranean for several years, I can tell you that the Israelis (at least) would never eat this dip and like all other food that is weird to them (pesto, pine nuts), they would be missing out on something fantastic. I tried making new or even old American classics and they were stuck in their ways with old world food traditions. Exhausting! I can’t wait to try this! I love Mediterranean food and this is such a great take on old food traditions!

I wrote a lot about my experience in Israel…
http://www.meantforsomethingbetter.com

Can I request an updated shnitzel recipe?

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    Natalie | Perry's Plate on 2.9.2012

    It’s interesting how some cultures are wedged so tightly in their food traditions. I guess Americans can’t relate because our “food tradition” is sort of a mish mash of everything. I hope you enjoy the dip!

    I spent over a year in Austria and would LOVE to do an updated schnitzel recipe! :) I’ve got homemade sauerkraut on my counter as we speak…

Marylou H on 2.7.2012

Definitely going to try this soon!! Looks like a great recipe! I will add the olives.

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Dax Phillips on 2.7.2012

This looks and sounds great! Something a lot different than that standard, yet delicious, taco dip.

Arwen on 2.6.2012

Made this for a Super Bowl party. It beat the Mexican 7 layer dip hands down. By halftime, there was less than half of my dip while 2/3 of the Mexican remained. TOUCH DOWN!

I mixed the olive oil with some of the kalamata olive juice. Wish I’d put a bit of balsamic in as well. Next time. I cheated and bought storemade cilantro pesto. :D

Karen T. on 2.6.2012

I made this for the Superbowl and it was fabulous. It has replaced our old favorite layered dip recipe. I finely diced the feta and layered that on after the hummus, topped it with the vegetables and then drizzled it with habanero olive oil. It was simply divine. My husband is eating (inhaling!) the leftovers as I type. Thanks for a great new recipe!

Sarah K on 2.6.2012

I made this for the super bowl and it was very well received. I made a few changes: I’m not a cucumber fan so I added halved grape tomatoes. I also don’t care for banna peppers, so I sliced artichoke hearts. It was delish!

rose on 2.5.2012

Made this tonight and was loved by all. The cilantro wasn’t too strong. It was just right. I added the 2 cloves of garlic as called for and had a great garlic bite. It didn’t look as appetizing as the one in the pic but will try to make it better next time. My husband came in the kitchen and looked at it and said “that’s it” and looked at it with an ewww look. As soon as he tasted it, I didn’t hear another word and a quarter of it was gone lickety split. I have more cilantro and parley in my garden and plan to try the parsley next. No complaints at this end!!

Crinoline on 2.5.2012

I have a quibble. Assuming I need no condolences and adore the flavor of cilantro, I have never found a way to preserve the flavor over a few minutes. No amount of drying or freezing or using vinegar or blending in vodka helps. After a few days, it tastes like tea. This is not the case with any other herb. Frozen pesto made with basil tastes wonderfully of basil Dill, tarragon, thyme, any preservation method works. Not so with cilantro. Other than that, I like the recipe. Just be prepared to make that pesto and serve it immediately.

Turmeric n spice on 2.4.2012

Love the colors —- first time at your blog !!!! Just love it

Ginger on 2.3.2012

This looks so wonderful, I can already taste how delicious this will be.

Lisa J on 2.3.2012

I am making this tonight!

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Laurie - Simply Scratch on 2.3.2012

WOWZA!! What a fantastic recipe! Loving all the colors!

The Texas Peach on 2.3.2012

This dip looks amazing. I have got to try this! I think I would like it even more than the Mexican version.

Christy on 2.3.2012

This dip was SOOO amazing. I’m so glad that I got to taste this amazing food. Thank you so much for introducing it to my tastebuds.

Meghan on 2.3.2012

So, why couldn’t you just use basil, like a regular pesto?

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    Natalie | Perry's Plate on 2.3.2012

    I think you could! I think that cilantro, mint, or parsley would work better with the flavor profile in the dip, but basil might be good, too. Try it! :)

liz@carpeseason on 2.3.2012

this looks FANTASTIC.

Leana on 2.3.2012

Looks yummy :)

Question – can you put the pesto and humus on the day before (early morning) and keep in fridge until ready to add toppings?

Have a my husbands surprise party and this would be great but I have to hide it next door and would like to have the two layers are ready set up.

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    Natalie | Perry's Plate on 2.3.2012

    Hi Leana! Sure, that would work well! I would love to be surprised with this — I hope your husband likes it!

caroleena on 2.3.2012

Yum. Yum. Yum! I can’t WAIT to try this. Thank you for sharing.

MichelleW on 2.3.2012

Oh boy! I’ve been making this for several years now with one difference. Instead of the cilantro pesto (cilantro? ptooey!) I use a tub of the spreadable cream cheese with chives on the bottom. It makes a much more solid base for all that wiggly, jiggly, hummus-y goodness.

I have one friend who loves it so much that whenever she hosts a get-together, I’m not allowed to bring anything other than this dip!

Enjoy everyone, it’s easy to make and delicious to eat!

SteffiWeffi on 2.3.2012

Oh YUM!!! I am going to have to hav a party just to make this dip!
Now bout those olive…Kalamatta are the only type O do really like :)

Aggie on 2.3.2012

Ok I’m starving and I want this for breakfast. Looks AMAZING!!

Tabitha (From Single to Married) on 2.3.2012

I agree it is pretty. Almost too pretty to eat. Almost being the key word. :)

Lauren on 2.3.2012

Oh yum!! Gorgeous photos, Natalie!

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cookincanuck on 2.3.2012

Okay, I am absolutely in love with this idea. I would eat this any day over the standard 7-layer dip.

Heather (Heather's Dish) on 2.3.2012

believe it or not i totally had a dream about this dip the other night. it’s meant to be!

Yogamama on 2.3.2012

My sister did something similar to this dip on a recent visit except she didn’t have the cilantro/pecan pesto as a base. I’m going to try this ASAP as I love cilantro, hummus and kalamata olives (my condolences).

bridget {bake at 350} on 2.3.2012

That looks insanely good! PS…I love cilantro, too!

Michelle on 2.3.2012

This sounds wonderful!

The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh on 2.3.2012

Oh man, the Mr would FLIP over this!