Authors: Rick Rodgers

Dip It! (2 page)

BOOK: Dip It!

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H
ere are some ingredients and cooking techniques for dips that might be unfamiliar or need a little explanation.

AVOCADOS
Always use Hass avocados, the variety with dark, pebbly skin. Large Florida avocados with shiny green skin are watery and flavorless. A ripe avocado will yield to
gentle squeezing, but it shouldn’t be squishy. Unripe, hard avocados have an olive green skin. They can be ripened at room temperature in a closed paper bag for a few days.

To pit an avocado, cut it lengthwise in half. Twist the two halves while pulling them apart to reveal the pit, which will remain attached to one half. Using a heavy knife, rap the pit with the blade, which should stick into the pit. Twist the knife to release and remove the pit. (You can also dig the pit out with a spoon, but that is a slippery way to go.)

To peel the avocado, scoop the flesh out of each half with a large serving spoon. The flesh is now ready for chopping or mashing.

CHILES, DRIED AND FRESH
Gone are the days when the only way a cook could get heat into food was with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or the occasional can of green chiles. Chiles range in heat from relatively mild to very, very hot. Dried ancho chiles have a fruity sweetness to them, whereas chipotle chiles will set your mouth on fire. All manner of dried and fresh chiles are available at Latino grocers and many supermarkets. A great mail-order source for dried chiles is Kitchen Food Shop, 218 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10011; (212) 243-4433; www.kitchenmarket.com.

Chiles must be treated with respect, as their oils can easily burn more areas of your body than your mouth. If your skin is especially tender, wear rubber gloves. In any case, don’t touch tender parts of your body, especially your eyes, until you have thoroughly washed your hands.

The ribs and seeds are the hottest parts of the chile, so they are usually removed before chopping. That doesn’t mean they are inedible. In fact, reserve them until after you
have tasted the dip. If you think it needs a bit more heat, sprinkle in the seeds. In extreme cases, you can mince the ribs and add them to the dip. All dried chiles are usually toasted in a skillet before using to bring out their flavor.

The chiles used in this book are:

Ancho
The dried version of the poblano chile (some brands label them dried poblanos).

Chipotle
A smoked jalapeño. The dehydration of these chiles during the smoking process intensifies their heat. While they can be found dried, they are most often canned in a chile sauce (adobo).

Jalapeño
The most familiar chile, with a relatively hot flavor profile. Serrano chiles, which are smaller, can be substituted.

Poblano
A dark green, oval chile with a pointed tip. Usually on the mild side, these are great for roasting. Similar mild chiles include the New Mexico and Anaheim varieties. You should be able to find at least one of these at a Latino market.

To roast fresh poblanos and other mild chiles,
position the broiler rack 6 inches from the source of heat and preheat the broiler. Lay the whole chiles on the broiler rack. (While I like to cut open bell peppers before roasting so they will lie flat, the irregular shape of chile peppers makes that impossible.) Broil, turning occasionally, until the skin is charred on all sides, about 10 minutes. Do not char the skin too much, or you will burn the flesh. Transfer the chiles to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand and steam until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Pull off the blackened skin, scraping away stubborn areas with a paring knife. Do not rinse the chiles under cold
water, as this would rinse away much of the flavor. Discard the seeds and ribs, and chop the chiles as directed in the recipe.

CUMIN SEEDS
This aromatic spice is popular in Mexican and Middle Eastern cooking. Ground cumin is available at every supermarket, but toasting whole cumin seeds and grinding them yourself results in better flavor (toasting brings out the spice’s oils, so they have more impact).

To toast cumin seeds,
place them in a small skillet over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant and toasted (you may see a wisp of smoke), 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately turn out of the skillet onto a plate and cool completely. Grind with a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee grinder.

GARLIC
As the cloves from this little bulb flavor so many dips, it is worth a few words. Use fresh garlic, never the chopped garlic packed in oil, which tastes processed. I use a garlic press for many recipes because I don’t want little nibs of garlic in the dip. (Because crushing in a press exposes more of the garlic’s oils to the air, it is true that a press increases the garlic flavor, something that some cooks consider undesirable. But I figure that if I am using garlic, I want to taste garlic.)

Roasted garlic is all about mellowness, not strength.
To roast garlic,
cut off the top of a large, plump head of garlic to make a lid. Drizzle the cut bottom portion with a few drops of olive oil and season with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Replace the lid, reforming the head of garlic, and
wrap in aluminum foil. Roast in a preheated 400°F oven until the garlic feels soft when squeezed, about 40 minutes. Cool completely before using, then squeeze out the pulp.

MAYONNAISE
Since mayonnaise is an essential ingredient for many dips, don’t skimp and get an inexpensive brand with potentially disappointing flavor. Buy a reputable brand, such as Best Foods, Hellmann’s, or Kraft, and you’ll be glad you did.

ONIONS, GRATED
Grated onions add flavor without the not-always-pleasant texture of chopped onions. Simply grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater. You’ll be surprised to find that a whole small onion grates down to just a couple of tablespoons.

PORCINI MUSHROOM POWDER
When you want to add the distinctive flavor of porcini mushrooms to a dish but don’t have the time for the traditional soaking, sprinkle in some porcini mushroom powder. Available at specialty markets, it’s nothing more than ground dried porcini mushrooms. You can make your own by grinding porcini mushrooms in an electric coffee grinder or mini-food processor until pulverized. If you buy dried porcini in large bags (as I always do, because it saves money, and they keep for months), this is a great way to use up the tiny broken bits in the bottom of the bag.

RED PEPPERS, ROASTED
Why bother to roast a pepper? The heat parcooks the pepper’s flesh, mellows the flavor,
and chars the bitter skin so it can easily be peeled away. There are a lot of different ways to roast a pepper, usually involving the chore of turning and charring the pepper over an open flame. I have always found this an inefficient, tedious method, and much prefer to cut up the pepper so it lies flat and can be broiled without turning.

To roast bell peppers,
cut off the top ½ inch of the pepper (including the stem), then cut off the bottom ½ inch. Place the top and bottom sections on a broiling pan. Make an incision down the side of the pepper, and open it out to make a strip, skin side down. Cut away and discard the ribs and seeds.

Position the broiler rack 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler. Place the pepper skin side up on the broiler rack. Broil until most of the skin is charred black, being careful not to char the skin so much that you burn the flesh, about 10 minutes, depending on the heat of the broiler. (The peppers can also be grilled outdoors over high heat in a covered charcoal or gas grill.) Remove the pan from the oven and cover with foil. Let stand until the peppers are cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes.

Peel off and discard the charred skin. Use a small sharp knife to help remove stubborn patches of skin or scrape off overly blackened areas. Do not rinse the peppers under cold water, which would wash away flavor. Don’t worry about getting rid of every bit of blackened skin—a bit of charred skin will add character.

TAHINI
Sesame seeds ground into a paste, tahini can be found at Mediterranean grocers, specialty food shops, and
most supermarkets. It adds a smooth, nutty flavor to many dips. In recipes that use a small amount (up to ¼ cup), you can substitute smooth peanut butter.

When you open a jar or can of tahini, you’ll find an oily layer that has separated from the paste during storage, which is not easy to stir back into the tahini. Here’s a trick I learned from my friend David Bonom: Scrape all of the tahini in a food processor or blender and whirl it to re-emulsify. Now scrape the blended tahini back into the jar for storage in the refrigerator. It will take another month or so before the oil separates again.

TOMATOES, SALTED
Some recipes ask you to salt tomatoes before using them. This is a great trick, as it drains off excess liquid that would otherwise dilute the dip. The salting also seasons the tomato cubes.

New and Old Favorites

W
hen I was a caterer, a terrific dip was a surefire way to get compliments on the food. Even at parties that offered gorgeous, intricately crafted hors d’oeuvres, it was the dip that had guests peeking into the kitchen to ask for the recipe. I know why. Not only do people like the communal aspect of serving dips but they are sure to be able to reproduce the recipes at home.

Most cooks feel that ease of preparation is a requirement for a good dip. Many favorite dips start with opening an envelope of dried soup mix, and I’ve made many a dip that way myself. But my goal is to provide you with the
best
version of a recipe, even if it requires a couple of extra steps. When I serve from-scratch versions of onion, spinach, clam, or artichoke dip, my guests can definitely tell the difference. And it shows that I care enough about them to make a special effort. None of these dips will exhaust you. And all of them will be worth the little bit of extra effort. (Where appropriate, though, I have also given the mix-and-serve recipes.)

Real Onion Dip

makes about 2 cups

MAKE-AHEAD
: The dip can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.

A
nyone who’s ever given a party surely knows how to make California Dip, probably America’s favorite dip, with an envelope of onion soup mix and a carton of sour cream. (According to the Lipton Company, who prints the recipe on every box of their dried onion soup, it is called California Dip because an anonymous home-maker from that state invented it.) My version, freshly made with caramelized onions replacing the dehydrated ones, challenges the classic with a fuller, less salty flavor. Serve this with homemade potato chips, and get ready for the compliments.

what to dip

Potato chips, store-bought or homemade (page 171 or 174) • Broccoli and cauliflower florets, prepared for dipping (see page 85) • Carrot sticks • Celery sticks • Cucumber slices • Tiny new potatoes, cooked (see page 87) • Zucchini rounds

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped (3 cups)

¾ cup mayonnaise

¾ cup sour cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Finely chopped fresh chives for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until
golden, about 20 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring often, until deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.

2. Mix the mayonnaise and sour cream in a medium bowl. Stir in the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days. (If necessary, thin with milk before serving.)

3. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chives. Serve chilled or at room temperature.