Excerpts
Make Alison Roman’s Lentil Dip with Toasted Garlic & Crispy Herbs
Serve this Something From Nothing starter at your next gathering that’s sure to impress.
Lentil Dip With Toasted Garlic & Crispy Herbs
Serves 4 – 6 / Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow lentils
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more
- 4 garlic cloves (2 finely grated, 2 thinly sliced)
- 8-10 sage leaves, or 1 tablespoon thyme or oregano leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
This is my best interpretation of “fava,” the classic Greek dip you’re able to get at any taverna across the country. Each version I’ve had, made with yellow lentils (not favas), lots of lemon, garlic, and olive oil, is wonderful, and I love them all. I suspect they’re using a different technique, as the ones I’ve had in Greece were sublimely smooth, and this version is charmingly lumpy (intentional). The best part about this dip is that you don’t need a food processor or blender: The lentils cook in just enough water to fully break them down into mush. Season aggressively, and, if making this ahead, know it’ll firm up as it sits. (You can always thin it out with more lemon juice, olive oil, or a touch of water as needed.)
DO AHEAD Lentil dip can be made 5 days ahead, stored wrapped and refrigerated.
Instructions
- Bring 2¾ cups of water to a boil in a small pot. Add the lentils and season with salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the lentils are totally tender and cooked through, and then pass into total mush. As they cook and break down, and the water evaporates, stir them pretty constantly to encourage them to further break down into what looks to be a coarse paste (not watery or soupy). This whole process should take 20–25 minutes.
2. Once the lentils are the perfect mush/dip texture, remove them from the heat. Add in the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the grated garlic, and season with salt, plus more lemon juice if you want. Let cool while you make the topping.
3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the sliced garlic and herbs. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the garlic has toasted, crisped, and browned and the herbs are crispy, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper of your choosing.
4. To serve, transfer the dip into a bowl, spooning the toasted garlic-herb mixture over.
EAT WITH As a snack, I like this as a dip with any sort of bread and/or with raw or blanched vegetables. I also find it a delightful side, sitting somewhere between a starch and a sauce. It would be perfect with Overnight Lamb (page 276) and a pile of Vinegar-Braised Greens (page 106).
Excerpted from Something From Nothing by Alison Roman. Copyright © 2025 by Clarkson Potter. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
