dip (d
p)
v. dipped, dip·ping, dips
v.tr.
1. To plunge briefly into a liquid, as in order to wet, coat, or saturate.
I’m very dippy. Many of you knew that anyway. But I do love a dip. I’m orally fixated (I suspect most food writers are, I wasn’t breast-fed you see). The transportation of bread/pitta/vegetables scooped at rapid and repetitive intervals via a silken savoury thick purée into my mouth, is right up my street.
Getting a fair amount of dip onto the receptacle without dropping it or worse, losing the dipping tool in the dip, is a skill in itself. Of course double dipping is a no-no amongst strangers but if I’m with mates, or drunk, I don’t care. Dips are perfect with booze.
You need a blender for these. (I’m using a Vitamix which is like a really powerful blender for extra smoothness).
I honestly think I make the best Babaghanoush in the world, here is the recipe:
Babaghanoush
The goal is to blacken the aubergine to get the requisite smokiness. I do this on the Aga where I can char my aubergines on the hot plate, turning them as the skin gets black. On a normal gas hob, you can do the same thing, either directly on the flame or on a cast iron flat pan. Or, light a disposable bbq. If you don't have an aga, a gas hob, or a garden/outside space, then perch the disposable bbq on your window sill. Try not to drop it onto someone's head below.I'm insisting upon this charring process because that's what this dish is all about really, the smoky burnt taste from the aubergines. Always include a little bit (a couple of inches) of the charred skin into the final dip.
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 3 large shiny aubergines, charred and skinned
- 1 tbsp tahini, heaped
- 1 juice lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp Maldon sea salt
- handful pomegranate seeds or parsley to garnish.
Instructions
- Blacken your aubergine skins by roasting them whole under a grill, on a BBQ or on a bare flame
- When the aubergines look shrunken inside and the skin is all blackened, strip the skin off, discard the stems, and put the flesh into a blender.
- Add all the other ingredients. Keep tasting and adjust it to your taste, adding more oil, more salt, more lemon or spices to your taste. Personally I don't like too much tahini but some people do.
- Serve garnished with parsley/pomegrante seeds.
Red pepper dip
This is a bit like muhammara but even simpler. It takes minutes. I've only put one chilli in which gives you residual heat without blowing your head off.
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 4 red bell peppers or long red peppers, roasted, skinned
- 1 red chilli, roasted, skinned
- 1 lemon, juice of
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Maldon sea salt
- handful Some nibbed pistachios to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Roast the peppers and the chilli in an oiled oven tray. (You could also blacken them on a bare flame or BBQ). This takes about 20 minutes for the bell peppers and 10 for the chilli.
- Then, ouchy ouchy, strip the skin off. I find it best to do it while it's hot and steamy, much quicker and easier. Discard the seeds and the stem.
- Put the flesh into the blender along with the rest of the ingredients. Let it cool down.
Yellow pepper dip with walnut
I created this recipe so you could have a colourful dip spread: lots of little bowls, this one using yellow bell peppers.
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 2 yellow bell peppers, roasted, skinned
- A handful of walnuts
- 1 lemon or lime, juice of
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Pinch saffron, ground
- 1-2 tbsp sunflower or pumpkin seed oil
- 1 tbsp Maldon sea salt
- handful Garnish with walnuts or parsley
Instructions
- Roast the peppers on an open flame using your gas hob or bbq or place them in an oiled oven tray and roast them until black on the outside for about 20 minutes. Then strip off the skins, remove the seeds and stem. Try to do this while they are hot, it's easier to remove the skin.
- Blend the flesh with the rest of the ingredients, adjusting to your taste. Serve cold with garnish and flat bread.
Yoghurt dip
So many cultures have a refreshing yoghurty dip: raitha for the Indians, tzatziki for the Greeks. Call it what you like, I love this stuff and can eat it for breakfast, in bed, lunch or dinner.As for the mint, you could use an Indian trick: mint sauce in a jar! Or try other fresh herbs such as coriander, dill, parsley, tarragon (very Georgian).Another option is to use radishes instead of cucumber, which gives it an attractive pink hue.
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded if it's not good quality, chopped into thin slices., peeled and seeded if it's not good quality, chopped into thin slices.
- 1 tbsp Maldon sea salt or other good sea salt
- 300 ml Greek style yoghurt
- 2 tbsp dried or fresh mint, or other herbs of your choice
- 1 lemon, juice of
- More salt to taste
Instructions
- One you've prepped your cucumber slices, salt them. This is a tip I got in France for making the cucumber crunchy. Leave for half an hour or longer.
- Tip away the excess liquid.
- Then add the yoghurt and the rest of the ingredients. Garnish with fresh mint.
Recipes look good — and the video clip at the end was cute. We are big against double dipping too 😉
~reader in Ohio