111: Roasted Salsa

Yet another dip, yet another recipe from Martha. This one I followed pretty much as written, though I only used two jalapenos as mine were especially spicy.

There was a little confusion in my brain about whether to keep or discard the skins for the tomatoes and jalapenos, which can come off easily after roasting. I ended taking off the tomatoes' (especially easy to remove) and leaving on the jalapenos as I was lazy.

This was devoured fairly quickly. Next time I'll probably roast the ingredients a little longer, just to get a bit more char on 'em.

It was also the inaugural use of my food processor, which I got for my birthday. It's HUGE, like way too big for my NYC kitchen. Thankfully it comes with a mini-bowl, which was perfect for this amount of salsa. Also it's pink, which is not anywhere near my favorite color, but apparently that was the only one available on amazon. I won't be picky. It's going to get used a ton regardless.

110: Swiss Chard Tzatziki

So I don't have pictures for this, whoops. It went out for the party in a less than pretty container and I forgot before I tossed the (meager) leftovers at the end of the night. I do have an actual recipe for you instead :)


Smoky Swiss Chard Tzatziki
(Slightly) adapted from this recipe from Martha Stewart:

- 1 cup stemmed, finely chopped rainbow chard
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, made into a paste with 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp lemon juice

Take the above and mix it all together. So simple. I added the lemon juice right before I put it out, just so it didn't overwhelm everything. Tasted really lovely with a veggie tray, like it should be terrible for you, but isn't, really. Would (and may) do it again!

66: Fennel Pecorino Dip

I tried a piece of raw fennel, just to see what it was like. Not going to lie, I almost threw up. Such a strong anise flavor- it's the veggie NyQuil.

Still I forged ahead with this recipe from Martha. Scaled to use just the one fennel bulb. Also subbed pecorino for parm. My fennel bulb was on the small side- ultimately leading to a more garlic/pecorino dip with a mild fennel background. I didn't mind, though to be fair the anise-ness mellowed out considerably in the oven, so I could've done more.

Bread is more SCRATCH sourdough remnants, and a little Black Rooster Rye.

Next time I get fennel it's going on the swap table- or to one of my roommates if they're fans. Happy I tried it but definitely not for me. 

Notes for Improvement:

- If I'd wanted to make this closer to the recipe I'd say more fennel- my yield was a little low even when I'd scaled down to the number of bulbs I had. 

- This was my first baked dip- I'd be interested to try the the idea again with another recipe. Especially now that I have ramekins!

Dish 48: Zucchini Dip

This dip/spread/whatever is good for a hot day, wish I'd had CSA mint though.

Followed this recipe from The Kitchn, processing it in a blender, as I'm getting the hang of it and it's much less noisy than the food processor. I used mint from the grocery store which had an unpleasant bitterness. I added a few more leaves to amp the flavor...which helped a little, but honestly, I'm a little sad.

Still, the dip is cool and refreshing.

Oh! And I ended up adding that optional tahini- just a tablespoon or so. Not to make it thicker, but to make it a little more savory. Without it the lemon and yogurt felt too dessert-y for me to really get into it.

Notes for Improvement:

- Pay the extra dollar and pick up herbs at a greenmarket next time

- Try roasting the zucchini a little more to help with the desserty problem

- It'd be nice to know what "large zucchini" actually meant, as well as how thick to cut those half moons. Maybe a little more brown caramelization would've helped as well

UPDATE: Definitely not a fan of these dressing leftovers- so don't let it sit around too long.

Dishes 31 & 32: Zucchini Noodle Salad & Garlic Scape Dip take 2

Went to an awesome potluck 4th of July BBQ with some cool people. Was thinking I'd use up a ton of my share- but I wasn't about to make a normal salad, as I have so many issues with those, so it was mostly a bit of spinach and a ton of zucchini- or two large zucchini and a large summer squash. And a few of those scapes. Still! I need to do more potlucks.

Deconstructed Salad:

Constructed Salad:

Followed this recipe. Not sure how much olive oil I added to the pesto- but most likely in the 1/2 cup range. Came together similarly to the Sorrel Pesto. Used walnuts instead of the pine nuts in the recipe. Kept everything separate until I got to the park, then mixed right before we ate. Or started to eat. I had three burgers + all the things. Ugh. In case you're wondering what I did with those seedy zucchini parts and the stems from the spinach used in the pesto, well, you should already know.

And the garlic scape dip came together as before. I ended up using a can of beans instead of my own, and fun fact: a 15 oz can of beans only contains about 10 oz of actual beans. So my using the full 15 oz of my own in another reason my dip was so darn thick. The more you know.

Found carrots and celery cheap at the grocery store so I chopped those up for dippage. Being healthy here folks, watch out. Yay I need to do more potlucks!

**Update: Sauce 2: Spinach Pesto

Dish 18: White Bean Garlic Scape Dip

Carb fiend. 

I'm not a big dip/dressing/sauce person. It was part of my plan to lose weight a few years ago, and beyond some hummus it's what I've stuck with. Still, with six garlic scapes this was the best use of the flavor. And beans have protein and stuff. That's healthy enough, right?

I used this recipe from the NY Times. It called for a can of beans but I found dried cannellinis...

...so I made my own with a little oregano I discovered still in the fridge. It's less a matter of cost than principle. And salt content. 

Collected my ingredients and essentially followed the recipe. A little less lemon juice than they called for. I needed all six of my scapes to get that not quite 1/3 cup. 

It ended up on the chunky side as my (roommates') food processor is tiny and crazy loud. Don't want the neighbors to hate me too much. 

The garlic flavor is there, less strong than I'd hoped, but I imagine it'll build with a day or two in the fridge. 

Hopefully I'll get something to dip in it next week, but I have a few ideas to use it up regardless. It's almost like mashed potatoes. I could eat it with a spoon.