Monday 9 November 2015
As the festive season approaches, one can never have too many good, quick and easy dip recipes so here are three of my favourites, each so different from the others that they can be served on the same table.
Many years ago I was in Texas at a little soirée given by some friends and dipped a little cracker into a bowl of what turned out to be a warm and absolutely gorgeous concoction. It was divine – possibly, I felt, the best and most flavoursome dip I had ever tasted.
I asked the hostess what it was and she assured me it was incredibly easy to make and told me what went into it. I have since made it many times and it always seems to elicit the same reaction from people who try it.
Curiously enough, this recipe for Artichoke Dip turned up in a book of Tapas dishes I acquired a couple of years ago so it may in he end prove to be Spanish in origin, but it really doesn’t matter whence it comes, because it is truly divine to eat, and definitely worth the bother.
This is also simplicity itself to make but again incredibly effective. A friend introduced me to this some years back and it has been part of the repertoire ever since. Again not sure of its origin – could be oriental with the sweet chilli sauce and chopped coriander, but not sure how a tub of Philadelphia fits with that, but again, it doesn’t really matter since it is so good, and so quick.
Tzadziki is the cornerstone of many a Greek meal. It can be served on its own with bread or crackers or served as a sauce with grilled meat.
A dip ‘staple’, Tzadziki is so easy to make that one wonders why anyone would buy it from a shop, particularly if a large quantity is needed for, say, a party.
Requiring little more than a tub of thick yogurt, some cucumber, garlic and mint, it’s a matter of minutes to produce it. The quantities of everything can be varied to suit individual taste and it’s hard to see how anyone could get it wrong as it’s so forgiving.