Dip into these winners for Super Bowl Sunday
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, January 27, 2004
You can have your vat of chili or your sprawling deli platter or your plates of fiery wings, but I use Super Bowl Sunday as an opportunity to wander down a path in the supermarket where usually I dare not tread: The Aisle of Chips.
That industrial-size bag of Cheetos? Load it up. The "hint of lime" Doritos, so thickly dusted with fake flavor that they leave your hands gritty? I’ll take two.
So what if the high-salt diet makes my head as puffy as the Goodyear blimp. If it goes with ice cold beer and doesn’t require me to miss a minute of the game or the commercials, then it’s food for Super Bowl Sunday.
This same relaxation of standards does not apply to the tubs of incredibly bad dips in the supermarket refrigerator case (guacamole the consistency of wallpaper paste), the glass jars of gelatinous cheese dip or the aisle full of dried soup mixes, those envelopes that are ripped open and their fake and salty dried contents folded into a vat of sour cream.
Here’s my thinking: I can’t make a Frito as big as a garden trowel, but I can sure buy one and use it to shovel up homemade onion dip.
The trick to dip-making is to take the lessons learned from Lipton, Knorr or Heluva Good packaged products: Make dips of heft that stay in the bowl even if you turn it upside down.
You want something that tastes good and doesn’t look fussy. If it resembles bruschetta or cries out for broccoli to be dunked in it, you’re cooking for the wrong sport.
You want something that belongs in a paneled rec room with a TV screen as wide as Gilbert Brown, something that any football fan can grasp in one hand while he gesticulates wildly with the other over the back judge’s failure to call defensive pass interference.
Is it loaded with fat and calories? Oh sure. So let the Food Police put my head on a stake. This is not the day for a bowl of tangerines or celery sticks. This is Super Bowl Sunday.
Super recipes
You’re in the supermarket on the morning of Super Bowl Sunday and you find your cart veering toward the packaged soup shelf. Don’t go there!
Try this dip, which looks exactly like the dip you once made from Lipton onion soup, but tastes much better.
Fried shallot dip
Have ready a plate lined with a paper towel.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat about 1/2-inch of oil until hot but not smoking. Add the shallots and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to keep them from sticking together, until golden brown and crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. (Watch them closely as they turn brown very suddenly.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to the paper towel and set aside to cool.
In a bowl, combine the sour cream and chives. Using your fingers, crumble the shallots into the bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and combine. Serve immediately.
Makes about 1 3/4 cups. Per 2-tablespoon serving: 38 calories, 1 gm protein, 3 gm carbohydrates, 3 gm fat, 6 mg cholesterol, 2 gm saturated fat, 9 mg sodium, trace dietary fiber.
Adapted from the August 1991 issue of Gourmet magazine
The jolt of flavor and heat in this dip comes from the pureed chipotle en adobo. Puree the contents of the whole can and reserve what you don’t use in this recipe. Then add it – cautiously – to chilies, salsas and your favorite sauces for chicken, pork or beef.
Black bean and cumin dip
In a blender or food processor, puree the chipotles en adobo until smooth. Scrape the puree from the food processor into a resealable container.
In the food processor or blender, puree 1 1/2 teaspoons of the chipotle puree with the beans, cumin and tahini until smooth. (Reserve remaining chipotle puree, covered and stored in the refrigerator, for up to six months.) If a thinner dip is desired, add reserved bean broth as necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Note: Chipotle chili peppers are smoked jalapeno peppers that are canned in adobo sauce. They are available at most supermarkets in the ethnic foods section.
Makes about 1 cup. Per 2-tablespoon serving: 95 calories, 4 gm protein, 15 gm carbohydrates, 2 gm fat, 0 mg cholesterol, trace saturated fat, 49 mg sodium, 4 gm dietary fiber.
Adapted from “Viva la Vida: Festive Recipes for Entertaining Latin-Style” by Rafael Palomino
Any blue cheese will do in this recipe, but the better the cheese, the better the dip. I used Maytag.
