What the hell is a dip? No, I mean I KNOW what a dip is... but is it just a thick sauce? Is it chunky? Does it have to be mayo-based?
I once submitted a very thick, chunky bean and chorizo dip to a (MAJOR!!) food magazine that had asked me to develop a dip recipe. The flavor was out of this world and I loved the thick chunkiness... but alas, it was rejected and I had to return to the cutting board.
Why?
Too thick, too chunky, and the chorizo had rendered the dip a very dark pink. None of these, in my mind, should have been cause for dismissal... but they were. So that got me thinking about all things dip-y.
Hummus, for example, is easy to make at home: process some chickpeas (either cooked from dry or rinsed canned), garlic, lemon juice, tahini, salt and water... and I even have a secret ingredient in case you don't have any tahini... Use peanut butter, and then, if you happen to have some dark sesame oil... add a bit, and you'll hardly know the difference. But it works even without the sesame oil. I usually dust the top with some roasted cumin seeds that I grind in the mortar and pestle.
For the "Hummus Bar" above, I created a very basic hummus and 3 variations... soy/sesame, cilantro, and scallions/celery/olives/and red pepper. See how adding or subtracting just a bit can give you very different results? And once you've tried these 4... go crazy and try other things. Let me know what you come up with! In the meantime, check out the Bonus Recipes to find out how quick, how easy it is to make these hummus treats.
More dips to come... But for now, here's a picture of the Creamy Red Bean Dip that the magazine accepted! In case your palate runs to creamier dips, I've also added the recipe for this to the Bonus Recipes section of the website.
