Fancy a dip?
Food brings people together, so what better way to celebrate Neighbours Day Aotearoa than with a dip or two.
At the risk of having my citizenship revoked, I’ve never understood the culinary abomination that is our supposed national dip.
Gnash your teeth all you like, but the holy blend of reduced cream and onion soup has never done it for me. I’m not particularly fond of the All Blacks or pavlova either, but that’s another story.
However, I firmly believe in the power of a good dip as a predinner saviour. There’s minimal prep involved, you can serve it with lots of raw vegetables, and it somehow ends up being much more than just the sum of its parts.
A dip is also extremely portable – making it perfect to take to a street party or shindig with your neighbours to celebrate Neighbours Day Aotearoa this Sunday.
Labne with tahini, pumpkin seeds and pomegranate molasses
Serves 4-6 Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus 12-24 hours draining time) Cooking time: nil
The only difficult thing about making this dip is remembering to drain the yoghurt for at least 12 hours before you plan to eat.
This dip works well with pita chips, crudites or even sliced fruit, particularly new-season apples or pears.
❚ 1 1⁄2 cups thick plain Greek yoghurt
❚ 1⁄4 cup pumpkin seeds
❚ 3 tablespoons tahini
❚ 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
❚ Zest and juice of 1 lemon
❚ 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
❚ 1-2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
❚ Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Line a sieve with a clean piece of muslin or cheesecloth (or a clean, unused Chux cloth) and set over a bowl. Tip the yoghurt into the lined sieve and cover loosely. Put in the fridge to drain for 12-24 hours.
Set a small pan over medium heat and add the pumpkin seeds. Toast for about five minutes, shaking the pan to ensure they are all evenly golden. Set aside.
Tip the yoghurt into a bowl and add the tahini, salt, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Mix well and taste – it may need more salt. Add half the pumpkin seeds and mix well. Spread on to a plate or into a shallow bowl and drizzle the pomegranate molasses on top.
Sprinkle over the remaining pumpkin seeds and serve. This can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to three days.
Creamy feta and olive dip
Serves 4-6 Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: nil
Use a creamy feta for this dip, such as Zany Zeus’ Creamy Feta. I use Pelion brand Kalamata olives – avoid the pre-stoned, pre-sliced ones.
❚ 1 cup Kalamata olives, stones removed
❚ 1⁄2 cup roughly chopped sundried tomatoes
❚ 1⁄2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
❚ 200g creamy feta, crumbled
❚ 1⁄4 cup plain Greek yoghurt
❚ 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or use the oil from the sundried tomatoes)
❚ Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Put the olives, sundried tomatoes and parsley in a food processor and whiz briefly. Add all the remaining ingredients and process again to form a chunky paste.
Taste for seasoning – it is unlikely to need salt but may need some freshly ground black pepper or a squeeze more lemon juice. If it is very thick, add a little more yoghurt. Process again briefly, then scrape into a clean serving bowl.
Serve immediately or cover and store in the fridge for up to three days.
Smoked salmon and chilli cream cheese
Serves 4-6 Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: nil
I ate something similar to this at a party recently and couldn’t work out what the magic ingredient was.
I eventually tracked down the person who made it (I’m really fun at parties) and she confessed it was anchovies.
They make all the difference, yet the dip isn’t overly fishy.
This is good with crackers or sticks of very cold celery, or piled on to discs of cucumber.
If you’re not keen on sharing, it’s also a viable dinner option when spread thickly on thin, crisp toast.
❚ 250g cream cheese, at room temperature
❚ 6 anchovies, roughly chopped
❚ 1⁄2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chilli, or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes
❚ Zest and juice of 1 lemon
❚ 50g smoked salmon, roughly chopped
❚ Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put all the ingredients, except the salmon, in a bowl. Mix well until smooth, then fold through the salmon.
Taste for seasoning – it may need a little more lemon juice and will definitely need black pepper and a touch of salt.
Scoop into a bowl and serve immediately, or cover tightly and store in the fridge for up to three days.