Want something special for weekend nibbling?

This seven-layer dip with a Tuscan twist (photo #1, recipe below) is perfect with beer, iced tea, sparkling water, wine, or whatever drink you like (gin and tonic, anyone?).

The recipe is from Pompeian, which sent us a bottle of their first single-origin extra virgin olive oil (photo #2).

The origin of the olives is Spain, an appropriate debut since Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world. Pompeian’s olives are harvested by a community of farmers in Spain, who only select premium-quality olives from the trees.

Pompeian 100% Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil, rolling out in stores nationwide this summer (here’s a store locator), is the first in a new line of single origin olive oils from the brand.

The EVOO is fruity and herbal, with bold, bitter and spicy flavor notes. It’s ready for baking, caprese salad, cooking eggs, drizzling (baked potato, fruit salad, grains, pizza, plate or soup), as a dipping sauce or pasta sauce, in a marinade, sauté, vinaigrette—any place you’d like some rich, healthful olive oil flavor.

Use it for everyday food prep and for a special-occasion appetizer, like this seven-layer dip:
 
 
RECIPE: 7 LAYER TUSCAN DIP

This recipe, sent to us by Pompeian, was developed for them by Lemons From Lulu. Thanks to both for this yummy treat.

It was made with Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar.

We substituted tangy feta cheese for the cream cheese. You can also use goat cheese, since you need two ounces of it anyway.

Ingredients For 10 Servings

 
Plus

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the cream cheese, yogurt, salt and herbs in a bowl; stir until smooth. Spread the mixture on the bottom of an 8″ x 8″ baking dish.

2. HEAT 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium skillet placed over medium heat. Add the sliced onion. and cook it until soft and golden in color (this should take about 10-12 minutes).

3. ADD the vinegar to the onions, stir and heat until the vinegar evaporates. Remove the onions from the heat and allow them to cool.

4. COMBINE the beans, garlic, salt and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until combined. With the motor running, stream in the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil until the beans are smooth and creamy. Spread the bean mixture over the cream cheese.

5. CHOP the caramelized onions into bite-size pieces and arrange them over the beans. Top the onions with the olives, crumbled goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle chopped basil over the top.
 
 
ITALIAN HERB SEASONING RECIPE

If you don’t have Italian seasoning blend, here’s how to make your own.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

Blend all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

Use the seasoning in the rest of your cooking: on other vegetables or rice, eggs, green salad, meat balls, meat loaf, pasta sauce and other Italian recipes.
 

[1] Seven-layer dip, Tuscan style (recipe and photo Lemons For Lulu via Pompeian).

[2] Pompeian’s new 100% Spanish EV00 (photo courtesy Pompeian).

[3] A classic Tex-Mex seven-layer dip. Here’s the recipe from My Latin Table.

[4] Layered dips can be made in individual portions, like this seven layer Tex-Mex dip. Here’s the recipe from The View From Great Island.

[5] Layered dips can elegant, too, like this one from Stacy’s Pita Chips.

A seven-layer dip is an American party appetizer with origins along the U.S. border with Mexico. It incorporates ingredients from Tex-Mex cuisine:

 
Seven layers was not a hard-and-fast rule: The number of layers can be less or more.

If made with authentic Hispanic ingredients, the ingredients would have only 6 layers: frijoles refritos con jalapeños (refried beans with jalapeños), guacamole, crema sazonada (seasoned sour cream), pico de gallo, queso rallado (grated cheese) and aceitunas negras picadas (pitted black olives).

The dish was Americanized to enable it to be made in areas where it wasn’t easy to find Mexican/Tex-Mex ingredients.

The dip was popular in Texas for some time before the recipe first appeared in national print. We recall it as a trendy party dip in the 1970s in Boston, served with corn chips or tortilla chips.

The first nationally-published recipe, according to Wikipedia, was in Family Circle magazine in 1981. The recipe was called Tex-Mex Dip.