This dip works well will your favourite chilli, Mexican meal, steak or a big bag go Nachos.
Jalapeños and Mint
1 jar of your favourite Jalapeños
3 good handfuls of fresh mint
Pinch of sea salt
Zest of Lemon
Simply whizz up the full jar of Jalapeños with the brine and mint and add salt and lemon zest to taste.
This is a good store cupboard recipe and can make a light supper on it’s own.
Bagna Cauda
200ml extra-virgin olive oil
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
12 anchovy fillets in a jar, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a medium saucepan, very gently heat the oil and butter until the butter has just melted – don’t let it bubble. Add the garlic and let it cook for a couple of minutes – don’t let it take on any colour. Add the anchovies and stir, breaking them up with the back of a wooden spoon, until they’ve melted into the sauce for about 10 minutes but make sure it doesn’t get too hot. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with raw veg such as celery, chicory leaves, fennel, cauliflower florets and chunks of bread.
Butterbean Dream
1 500g glass jar of Butterbeans or chickpeas
5tbsp olive oil
5 garlic cloves
2 tsps Smoked paprika
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper if needed
First make the oil to drizzle over the dip.Add oil to a frying pan with 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic for 10-15 minutes on a really low heat. Add 2 tsps of smoked paprika for the last 30 seconds of cooked before drizzling it on top of the creamy bean dip. To make the dip -Drain off the jar off beans and keep the liquid to one side until later. Add 1/2 small garlic clove and 2tbsp olive oil and whizz briefly. Then add the liquid and the juice of half a lemon and more olive oil to create a creamy glossy dip.
The following two recipes work well if you prepare them after you’ve enjoyed a bbq and as the coals are cooling down you can throw on the aubergines or red peppers to blacken but they can be made just as easily in the oven. Once blackened you can store in a zip lock bag until you’re ready to make the dip.
Baba Ganoush
3 large aubergines
2 garlic cloves crushed with 2tsps of sea salt
Juice and zest of a lemon
3 tbsp of tahini
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Pierce the skins of the aubergines and bbq them whole turning them to blacken all over or you can bake in a hot oven for around 45 minutes. Let them cool and cut them lengthways and scrape along with juices in to a food processor and whizz until smooth. Add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, tahini and olive oil.
Really Red Pepper Dip
4 large red peppers
250ml extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves
75g nuts (pecans, walnuts or almonds) whatever takes your fancy
75g white breadcrumbs
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tsps freshly ground cumin seeds
2 tsps sugar or honey
1 tsp finely chopped red chilli (or to taste)
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 200C or on the bbq. Cut the peppers in half and remove the ribs and seeds. Coat them with a little oil and bake until they begin to blacken all over or in the BBQ as mentioned above. Remove the skins that come off easily, but don’t worry about getting every last bit. Put the roasted peppers, garlic, nuts, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, cumin, sugar, chilli and some salt and peppermint a food processor and whizz until smooth. Add the rest of the oil and blend a little more until it becomes glossy. You can enjoy this with bread sticks, warm or cold.