Authors: Rick Rodgers

Dip It! (7 page)

BOOK: Dip It!

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1 cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino Romano

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus basil sprigs for garnish

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon anchovy paste

1 garlic clove, crushed through a press

1. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese, chopped basil, lemon juice, anchovy paste, and garlic in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate to blend the flavors, at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day.

2. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and garnish with the basil sprigs. Serve chilled.

Spicy Salsas and Dips

S
alsa is the best friend a tortilla chip ever had. The word
salsa
means “sauce” in Spanish, showing that in Latin countries salsas are considered condiments for cooked food, not just for dipping tortilla chips. I’m glad that American ingenuity has made the most of the combination.

There are two basic kinds of salsa, raw and cooked. The
raw versions are chunky with bits of tomato, onion, garlic, and, of course, chiles, among other ingredients. The cooked versions are often pureed to yield smooth salsas with heightened flavors. Bean dip and guacamole are close relatives to salsas, and you’ll find examples here. I have not included fruit salsas—which may be delicious served next to grilled salmon, but do nothing for a tortilla chip.

For information on chiles, see page 8.

Red Pumpkin-Seed Salsa

makes 1½ cups

MAKE-AHEAD
: The salsa can be prepared up to 3 days ahead.

P
epián
is really a mole-related cooking sauce rather than a salsa. Nonetheless, whenever I make it, I find myself dipping tortillas in it. It has a few steps, but none of them are difficult, and the result is a rust-red salsa with complex flavors hinting of chocolate and fruit.

what to dip

Tortilla chips,
store-bought or
homemade (page 176)

2 ancho chiles, stemmed, split, and seeded

½ cup unsalted shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

4 plum tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup chopped white onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 canned chipotle chile en adobo, chopped

2 teaspoons honey

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

½ cup canned low-sodium chicken broth, or use homemade stock, as needed

Salt to taste

1.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chiles skin side down in the skillet and cook until they turn a deeper shade, and are more pliable, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, add hot water to cover, and put a saucer on top of the chiles to submerge them. Let stand until softened, about 20 minutes, then drain well.

2.
Add the pumpkin seeds to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until they have turned a deeper shade of olive, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

3.
Position a broiler rack 6 inches from the source of heat and preheat the broiler. Place the tomatoes on the rack and broil, turning occasionally, until the skins are blackened and peeling, about 10 minutes. Peel the tomatoes, discarding the seeds.

4.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

5.
Combine the drained chiles, toasted pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, onion and garlic, chipotle, honey, cinnamon, and allspice in a food processor or a blender. With the processor running, gradually add enough stock to make a thick puree.

6.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the salsa (watch out for splatters) and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool completely. Season with salt. (The dip can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, covered, and refrigerated; if the chilled dip is too thick, thin with water or broth.)

7.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve at room temperature.

Classic Tomato Salsa

makes about 2½ cups

MAKE-AHEAD
: The salsa is best served within 2 hours, but it can be made up to 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated.

T
his is a well-balanced, not-too-hot raw salsa that will help make a bowl of tortilla chips disappear. Serve it soon after making it so the flavors stay distinct.

what to dip

Tortilla chips,
store-bought or
homemade (page 176)

3 ripe large tomatoes

Salt

1 garlic clove

3 tablespoons finely chopped red or white onion

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1.
Cut each tomato crosswise in half, and use your finger to poke out the seeds. Using a serrated knife, cut the tomatoes into ½-inch cubes. Toss the tomato cubes with ½ teaspoon salt in a colander. Let drain in the sink for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.

2.
Finely chop the garlic. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and continue to chop and smear the garlic on the work surface until it forms a paste.

3.
Mix the tomatoes, onion, lime juice, jalapeño, cilantro, and garlic paste in a bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes to blend the flavors.

4.
Transfer the salsa to a serving bowl and serve.

GUACA SALSA
Just before serving, stir 1 ripe Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into ½-inch dice, into the salsa.

Tomatillo-Cilantro Salsa

makes about 3 cups

MAKE-AHEAD
: The salsa can be prepared up to 1 day ahead.

T
he green salsa you put on your taco is not made from green tomatoes, but from tomatillos, a relative of the gooseberry (the papery husk on fresh tomatillos gives them away). You’ll find them at grocers in Latino communities and specialty produce stores. Canned tomatillos are more common, but it is worth searching out the fresh ones. When boiling the tomatillos, take care not to cook them until they burst—it is better if they remain slightly raw.

what to dip

Tortilla chips, store-bought
or homemade
(page 176) • Cooked
chicken breast (skinless
and boneless) cut into
bite-sized chunks •
Cooked shrimp (peeled
and deveined)

2 pounds tomatillos, husked

2 garlic cloves, crushed under the side of a knife and peeled

1 jalapeño, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped

¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, plus additional for garnish

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

1
. Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the tomatillos and cook just until
tender but not falling apart, about 6 minutes. (If the tomatillos are different sizes, remove the smaller ones as they are done with a slotted spoon or skimmer.) Drain well.

2.
With the processor running, drop the garlic and jalapeño through the feed tube of a food processor. Add the onion and cilantro and pulse until finely chopped. Add the tomatillos and pulse until chunky smooth, depending on your preference.

3.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the salsa (watch out for splatters) and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.

4.
Season the salsa with salt, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day.

5.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

TOMATILLO-BASIL SALSA
Substitute ¼ cup chopped basil for the cilantro. Garnish with a sprig of basil.

Grilled Corn and Goat Cheese Salsa

makes about 4 cups

MAKE-AHEAD
: The salsa can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead.

T
his colorful salsa celebrates the special time of year when corn and tomatoes are both in season. By the way, there’s no need to soak corn before grilling, as some recipes direct. Yes, the husks will char, but that adds a wonderful smokiness to the kernels.