Dips, dipping, dipped. I dip, you dipped, he is dipping. They will have dipped. In Spanish, it’s dipear, although the Real Academia Española—protector of the true language—says the correct usage is “mojar un alimento en una salsa,” “to wet a food in a sauce.” Thanks to advertising, dipear is probably here to stay.
The dips in my fridge are past tense. I had all the neighbors for drinks last week (we were nine people, French, Swedish, Argentine and American-Mijeño). I served trays of dips and accompanying dippers: guacamole with tortilla chips, hummus with pita chips, olive-caper dip with regañás crackers and mojo verde, a green-chile salsa, with wrinkly potatoes for dipping.
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| Future tense for leftover dips--as salad dressing, sandwich spread, sauce for fish or meat, even soup. |
After the gathering, I was left with dribs and drabs of all the dips. The avocado we finished the next day. It really doesn’t keep well. The hummus, of garbanzos and tahini, I stashed in the freezer. The olive oil-rich olive-caper dip and the mojo both keep well refrigerated. The oil rises to the top and makes a protective seal. I am happily recycling the various dips and sauces for this week’s meals. I will dip again. Here’s how it’s going.
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| Hummus--more than just a dip. |
Hummus, made with a jar of chickpeas, tahini (sesame paste), lots of garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, with smoked picante (hot) pimentón. I served it as a dip accompanied by pita crisps. I froze the leftovers.
Hummus makes a terrific dressing for salads and cooked vegetables. It's a good sandwich spread. Stirred into chicken broth, it makes a very tasty soup,
Olive-Caper Dip (Olivada con Alcaparras). This is not unlike the Provençal olive-caper paste called tapenade. Here it is made with canned anchovy-stuffed olives. Use additional anchovies if you like it really briny. (Recipe below).
For a vegetarian lunch wrap: Slice eggplant, dip the slices in beaten egg and fry them in olive oil on moderate heat until tender and browned on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper and sprinkle with salt. Spread the slices with hummus and tuck them into pita pockets. Add chopped salad, shredded lettuce, crumbled cheese, harissa hot sauce.
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| Spread creamy hummus on fried eggplant slices and tuck them into pita pockets. |
As a dip, it was accompanied by crunchy regañás, an olive-oil and sesame cracker. The leftovers have many uses--dressing for tuna-macaroni salad, stuffing for hard-boiled eggs, sandwich spread, as a sauce for simple grilled foods.
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| Olive-caper sauce is a tangy complement to simple, pan-grilled lamb loin. |
Green Chile and Cilantro Dip (Mojo Verde).
I served this spicy dip in the classic Canary Islands manner, to accompany Wrinkly Potatoes, small, unpeeled potatoes cooked with lots of salt so that their skins get wrinkly. (The recipe for wrinkly potatoes and mojo verde is here.)
Leftover mojo makes a piquant sauce for fish. I served it with pan-fried fillets of pargo, a pink-skinned bream.
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| Mojo verde is a Canary Island sauce with green chile and cilantro. For dipping, serve it with tiny wrinkly potatoes. Or use it to sauce pan-fried fish. |
Olive-Caper Dipping Sauce
Olivada con Alcaparras
A smidgin of sweetness—a ripe fig—mitigates the saltiness of olives, anchovies and capers. Use a spoonful of honey if no figs are to hand.
1 (200-gram) can of anchovy-stuffed green olives (½ cup drained olives)
3-4 anchovy fillets, drained (optional)
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup fresh bread crumbs
1 ripe fig (or ½ teaspoon honey)
1 tablespoon sweet wine (such as Muscatel)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of fresh thyme
Drain the olives, reserving the brine.
Place the olives in a blender or food processor with the anchovies, if using, the capers, garlic, bread crumbs, fig, wine, oil, pepper and thyme. Let set 5 minutes to allow the bread to soften. Blend until smooth, adding enough of the reserved olive brine to make a thick, creamy sauce.
Keep the sauce, tightly covered and refrigerated. Serve cold or room temperature.
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| The olive-caper sauce served with grilled lamb, potatoes, zucchini sauté. |
More recipes for dips and dippers:
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