Snack: Fried Scallion Dip with Lebneh

French onion soup mix combined with sour cream is the quintessential '70s dip. This luxurious upgrade eschews the powdered stuff in favor of crunchy fried scallions. Replacing the sour cream with the Lebanese cheese lebneh creates a dip that's fairly low

Ingredients

6 large scallions
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 garlic clove
1 jalapeño
2 c. lebneh (see Note)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

In a bowl, toss the scallions with the flour. Transfer to a colander and tap out any excess flour.
In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the scallions and fry over high heat, stirring frequently, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Drain the scallions in a colander set over a heatproof bowl; reserve 2 tablespoons of the scallion oil. Wipe out the skillet.
Return the reserved scallion oil to the skillet. Add the chili powder, coriander, cumin, garlic and jalapeño and cook over high heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the lebneh. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the fried scallions.
Serve With: Pita chips, potato chips or crudités.
Lebneh is available at specialty and health food stores. : INSTEAD OF LEBNEH Crème fraîche, fromage blanc , drained Greek nonfat yogurt, mascarpone or quark.