Ricotta and Grape Chutney Dip
Creamy and Smooth Ricotta Dip with sweet and sour grape chutney is perfect appetizer for the holidays! Serve it with toasted baguette, chips or papri!
If you are looking for an easy dip recipe for the holiday season, look no further. I love making this whipped ricotta dip with different types of toppings. I also love making this grape chutney which is a recipe I learnt from Madhuja at FOOD52. It’s so good, it pairs perfectly with Indian food or in this case the dip. I have made it several times before adding it to this dip.
I added some extra components to the chutney; therefore, it has sweet and savory flavors and ricotta is creamy slightly sweet.
Appetizers are my favorite part of the holiday because you can really get creative with them, and they keep your guests occupied when the party starts. Sometimes, I love having a lot of appetizers and then just one main dish and of course few dessert options.
Ricotta is whipped and flavored with Italian seasonings. Just to give it some flavor.
Fresh grape chutney is a Bengali style chutney recipe. If you do not know they make some very delicious chutneys. One thing that stands out in the chutney is ‘panch phoron’. Since I have used panch phoron I have become a huge fan.
The original recipe calls for different types of grapes. I have only used red ones. You can black grapes, green and red or just one. The final dish however will have different color. Just keep that in mind. Do skip on panch phoron it is what makes the chutney so delish. It has perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and creamy.
Ingredients
There are two parts to the recipe
- Ricotta –
Ricotta is whipped using a whisk and as I mentioned above it has been lightly flavored with oregano, black pepper and red chili flakes, garlic powder – basically Italian seasoning. If you like herbs, then you can use some fresh herbs too.
2. Grape Chutney
Grapes – I have used red grapes. But I have made this chutney several times with a mix of three different grapes- green, red and black.
Panch Phoron – spice blend is used which consists of five spices like cumin, mustard, fennel, nigella seeds and fenugreek seeds. There is also one dry red chili used.
Sugar – I have used regular white granulated sugar, but brown sugar would also bring out nicer flavor to it. I have also used tiny bit of balsamic vinegar.
Caramelized onions – I have used caramelized onions in the recipe, and it adds nice savory touch to the overall dish.
Substitutions to the recipe
Any other cheese – goat cheese, brie, camembert etc would be great choice. Although if you use brie or camembert, you will have to bake it to melt it just before serving. I also love boursin’s herb cheese.
Herbs – You any herbs you love to use fresh or dried basil, parsley, thyme and rosemary are all great herbs to add in. Don’t add too many different herbs, stick to one or two that pair well.
Spice blend – If you cannot find or want to use panch phoron. I would highly recommend you atleast use either cumin or mustard seeds and fennel seeds. Fennel makes it so much better. But highly recommend panch phoron even though small quantities it is packed with flavor.
Serving – It can be served with Indian snack papri, chips, naan chips, toasted baguette slices or vegetables like endive etc. Not sure how this would pair with other vegetables but if you try it, and it works let me know in the comments.
Preparation and Storage
You can make the grape chutney in advance in fact 2-3 days in advance it keeps very well in the refrigerator. It needs to be cooled down before adding to the ricotta. So, it perfect that way to be prepare it earlier.
Whipped Ricotta takes no time, and it taste and looks better when you whip it few hours before serving. So, I highly recommend doing that few hours in advance. Cover the whipped ricotta, or else it creates a little crust that does not look appetizing and smooth.
When ever you are ready to serve, take out the grape chutney and it should be served at room temperature not cold. Do not add the grape chutney at once, start with half and then go ahead and use rest of it.
Both components stay fresh in the refrigerator for 2 -3 days in an air-tight container.
Ricotta and Grape Chutney Dip
Ingredients
Grape Chutney
- 2 cups red grapes or mix grapes
- 1 tbsp oil neutral
- ¼ cups red onions thinly sliced
- ½ tsp panch phoron spice blend
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 dried red chili
- 3-4 tbsp sugar
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Oregano
- ½ tsp red chili flakes
Whipped Ricotta
- 1 cup Ricotta whipped
- ½ tsp herbs
- ½ tsp red chili flakes
- Olive oil and pine nuts or marcona almonds optional
Instructions
Grape Chutney
- Take oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add onions and let them cook until they are caramelized. Once the onions start browning, add few drops of water to soften them and stop them from burning. Once the onions are caramelized, remove them.
- In the same pot or pan, take 1 tsp of oil. Once its hot, add the panch phoron spices and fennel seeds. Let them bloom a little and then add dried red chili.
- Immediately add grapes and sugar, salt, balsamic vinegar, red chili flakes as well. Let it boil on slightly high heat for about 20 minutes. It thickens as it sits. So, check once in between to see if it is thickening up or not.
- It should look jammy. Add the caramelized onions too. Turn off the heat and let it cool down.
Whipped Ricotta
- Take ricotta in a bowl and add the seasonings; whisk it until its smooth. You can also use food processor but whisking it by hand was enough.
Serving
- Place a big dollop of ricotta on a platter or bowl, spread it using a back of a spoon and add grape chutney on top and extra herbs and seasonings if needed.
Notes
- Optional – You can also drizzle some olive oil and add nuts to give it some texture.
- Sugar – I added less sugar as the grapes were sweet, but if you end up getting grapes that are sour you might need to add extra sugar.
- Buy seedless grapes.