Marinated Parmesan Dip

I love to have different dips and spreads available for guests to put on crackers and crostini when serving wine.  This is one of my favorites.  It is simply to make and lasts a long time in the refrigerator.  The flavors continue to develop for a long time.  Put it in a bale jar or some other pretty jar and then you can just put it on the table and let guests serve themselves.

Marinated Parmesan Dip

3 – 4 oz Parmesan Cheese, broken into bean size pieces with a knife – get the best you can find

2 cloves garlic

1/2 c flat leaf parsley (Italian parsley)

1/4 c olive oil (plus more as needed)

5 large leaves of basil

3 green onions

salt and pepper to taste

crush red pepper (optional)

Place the flat leaf parsley and basil in a food processor and finely process.  Add the garlic cloves and green onions.  Process until the onions and garlic are the same consistency as the parsley.  Add the broken up parmesan cheese and process again.  With the food processor running, slowly drizzle the olive oil in until you get the consistency of peanut butter.  Add salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.  If you want some heat, add the crushed red pepper but be careful, the heat will continue to build while stored in the frig.  I took some out this past weekend that had been in the frig for several months and it was quite hot.  Still tastes wonderful but some guests won’t care for the extreme heat.  Serve with crackers or crusty bread. Also great served over roasted chicken and fish or toss with fresh pasta.  I like to spread it on crusty bread, top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and broil it until the cheese is toasty.  Delicious!!