On my post about dinner party basics, I mentioned that dips are one of my go-to appetizers when entertaining. To be honest, I love dips so much that I will gladly have a lunch or dinner composed of just a few different dips. Keep reading for four of my favorite dips…
pico de gallo
roasted tomatillo dip
roasted eggplant dip
artichoke salted yogurt dip
Be sure to taste the dips frequently until the seasonings are to your liking. Keep adding certain ingredients if you want more of it, or hold back if you don’t. As always, its up to you!
Pico de gallo
2-3 tomatoes
lime
1/4 red onion
handful of cilantro
jalapeno
Roast one jalapeno over the stove flame until the skin is charred all around. Let cool and dice into small bits. If you don’t want it too spicy, remove the seeds and the white bits inside. That’s usually where the hotness comes from. Dice up everything else and toss with a few glugs of good EVOO and squeeze of lime. Zest the lime first for a more fragrant and zippy taste. Salt generously and add a few twists of black pepper.
Salted garlicky greek yogurt + artichoke dip
greek yogurt
garlic
olive oil
canned artichokes
squeeze of lemon
fresh herbs (if you have some)
Finely chop 1-3 cloves of garlic. More if you like extra garlic. Heat up 1-2 glugs of olive oil in a pan and fry the garlic until it’s fragrant but not browned. Pour olive oil + garlic mixture into the greek yogurt and salt well. Squeeze in some lemon and stir it until you have the smooth consistency. If you happen to have fresh herbs, stir that in as well. Dill or parsley work especially well for this. Chop artichokes into chunky pieces and pile it on top of the yogurt. Hearts of palm is a great alternative too! Top with a drizzle olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.
Roasted eggplant dip
eggplant
garlic
greek yogurt
white wine vinegar
dill
red onion
Roast eggplant for about 30-40 minutes. When it’s ready, the eggplant should look deflated and the skin blackened. Scrape out eggplant flesh and shop into chunks. Chop more finely if you like a smoother dip. Toss in chopped red onion, chopped garlic, and dill. Stir in 1 large dollop of greek yogurt - more if you want a creamier yogurt. Add in a splash of white wine vinegar, a good glug of olive oil, and salt well. Play around with the ratios until you’re happy. I’ve even sautéed the red onions and garlic first to get a heartier flavor.
Salsa verde (or whatever green things you have)
3-4 tomatillos
1 jalapeno
onion
garlic
2 green onion
cilantro + lime
Toss everything except cilantro and lime with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Broil in the oven for 10 minutes until charred. Garlic is usually the first to burn so I’d keep an eye on them. Throw everything in a blender and add a handful of cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a healthy glug of olive oil. Blend until you are happy with the consistency!
Happy dipping!