Here’s to another (we hope) blessed spell of sun, with no fires
The sockeye salmon are running, and the greens are popping up in the garden faster than we can eat them. The last sunny week of July afforded us a few balmy evenings on the deck. From this happy concatenation of events, a couple of appropriate dips were born—both shareable, with dipping accoutrements and a beverage, while the barbecue queen or king does their thing. When the smokies or the chicken or the roasted vegetables come to the table, don’t put the dips away … Leave them out. The yogurt dip, especially, goes with everything.
Here’s to another (we hope) blessed spell of sun, with no fires.
Smoked Salmon Dip
Here we have the smoked salmon, the capers, onions, and lemon, and the cream cheese (usually seen on a platter in their individual parts) all blended into one delicious spread. Try it on oatcakes!
Ingredients
- 4 oz hot-smoked salmon
- 1 Tbsp capers
- 1 Tbsp chopped red onion
- 8 oz cream cheese 1 package, at room temperature
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 to 2 Tbsp whipping cream
Instructions
- Place salmon, capers and onion in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until mixture is coarsely ground.
- Cut cream cheese into 8 cubes and add to the food processor. Pulse several times until the whole mixture is evenly blended and there are no large lumps of cheese.
- Add lemon juice, pulse to combine, and add enough whipping cream for an easily-spreadable texture.
- Decant into a bowl and serve at once with oatcakes and crackers, or refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. Let the dip come up to room temperature, about 20 minutes, before serving. Will keep for up to 10 days in the fridge.
Notes
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Spiced Yogurt and Garden Greens Dip
Adapted from two traditional dishes, each one typical of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking: the Turkish Ispanak Borani, and the Iranian Borani Esfenaj.
Ingredients
- 8 oz fresh kale substitute spinach or chard
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp toasted ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup thick yogurt see note
Instructions
- Wash the kale thoroughly and break off the stems where they meet the leaf. Chop the stems into dice that are the same size as the onions.
- Set a cast-iron frying pan on a burner and turn to medium. Pour about 1 1/2 cups of water into the pan and bring to the boil. Have a bowl of ice water ready beside the stove.
- Cook the kale leaves in two or three batches until wilted but still bright green. With a pair of kitchen tongs, remove the kale and plunge it into the ice water. Repeat until all the kale is cooked. Pour the cooking water into a heat-proof bowl or cup, and reserve.
- Once the remaining skiff of water is evaporated from the pan, pour in two tablespoons of oil. Add onion and kale stems and a couple of tablespoons of reserved cooking water. Sauté onion and stems, adding cooking water as necessary, until onions are translucent.
- Add spices and garlic to the frying pan and sauté for another 2 or 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
- While the onion is cooking, squeeze the kale leaves between your hands to remove as much moisture as you can and place on a cutting board. Chop coarsely and transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
- Once the onion-kale mixture has cooled, add to the bowl. Stir in the yogurt and the kosher salt. Taste and add more salt as necessary. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to allow the flavours to blend.
- Serve with triangles of pita or naan bread and chopped vegetables, with barbecued chicken or vegetables, or on a platter with a bunch of other dips and some olives. Will keep in the fridge for up to one week.
Notes
Makes about 2 cups.
Note: for really thick yogurt, strain 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt through a sieve lined with cheesecloth and set over a bowl for a few hours, in the fridge. You should be left with about 1 cup of thick yogurt. Save the whey in the bottom of the bowl and use instead of milk in baking or sauces.
