Eat at Home: Elf Cafe-Inspired Shallot Yogurt with Figs

Yogurt can change your life if you let it. I don’t mean that sugary stuff with the gelatinous “fruit” you have to unearth from the bottom of that little plastic container —I’m talking thick and creamy with live cultures.

That kind of yogurt can take a simple bowl of cereal and fruit to amazing heights. Plus, it’s a great source of calcium, and it helps digestive issues.

Lately I’ve been getting my fair share of “real yogurt” with the help of a shallot and date yogurt dip that’s inspired by two dishes—the Labneh appetizer at Elf Café in Echo Park and the Shallot Yogurt Dip from the Central Grand Market in Glendale.

The Labneh is a goat yogurt cheese that comes topped with dates and kalamata olives while the Shallot Yogurt is just yogurt mixed with chopped shallots as far as I can tell, but it’s ridiculously delicious. I like both ideas, so I mixed them up.

For my interpretation, I blend a large container of Fage Greek Yogurt with chopped up shallots—say around a ¼ cup. I use a food processor to smooth it out, but you don’t need to. I then add a few shakes of dried dill and mix in about ten diced kalamata olives. Add a little salt to taste, and sprinkle two to three chopped up dates on top.

You can eat it with pita or Akmak crackers, as picture above. Serve it at a party, and you will be loved.

-Valentina