By Barbara Beltrami
Can anyone forget sour cream and onion dip, spinach and artichoke dip or clam dip? They all were party staples in my youth, and hackneyed party fare that they are, I still can remember their taste and never turn down a chance to go down memory lane and binge on them whenever they appear at a party. In those days we scooped them with potato chips that inevitably broke and left pieces languishing in the dip, but today there are so many kinds of new chips plus crudités beyond celery and carrots to choose from that I think it’s time to riff on some new dips too. Here are a few somewhat different concoctions.
Goat Cheese with Fresh Herbs Dip
YIELD: Makes 1 1/2 cups
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound fresh soft goat cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor, blend goat cheese, oil and yogurt until smooth; add herbs, salt and pepper and pulse a few times. Transfer to a bowl and serve with bagel chips, toasted baguette slices or crudités.
Baba Ghanoush (Charred Eggplant Dip)
YIELD: Makes 2 cups
INGREDIENTS:
1 head garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 medium eggplants
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup light tahini
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
DIRECTIONS:
Place oven rack in top third of oven and preheat broiler. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Slice off top of garlic head and drizzle with a teaspoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then wrap in foil. With a fork, pierce the eggplants all over; place them and the garlic on the foil-lined baking sheet. Broil, turning occasionally, until garlic is soft and eggplant is charred on the outside and very soft on the inside all the way through to the center, about 35 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut the eggplant open and scoop out the flesh; place in a colander to drain for about 30 minutes; discard skin; finely chop eggplant if any strands remain. Pinch or scoop garlic cloves out of their skin and mash them.
In a large bowl, combine them with the remaining olive oil, eggplant pulp and lemon juice and stir vigorously to further break up the pulp as much as possible. Add tahini, lemon juice and more salt and pepper, if desired. Stir vigorously again, transfer to serving dish and garnish with parsley, red pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with pita chips and crudités.
Muhamarra (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)
YIELD: Makes 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
2 red bell peppers
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces chopped toasted walnuts or almonds
1 garlic clove chopped
2 – 3 tablespoons tomato paste
2/3 cup unflavored bread crumbs
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sumac
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Lightly oil a shallow baking dish. Brush peppers with one tablespoon olive oil, place in prepared dish and roast, turning once or twice, until skin is puckered and centers blacken, about half an hour. Place in bowl and cover for 5 to 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, pull and scrape off skin and remove seeds and discard. In bowl of food processor combine pepper pieces, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, nuts, garlic, tomato paste, bread crumbs, molasses, sugar, sumac, salt and pepper and process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate but serve at room temperature with flat bread and crudités.
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Second Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the people who allegedly used stolen credit cards in stores in Commack and East Northport this month.
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