Category Archives: Appetizers

Giada’s White Bean Dip

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This bean dip is the classy Italian cousin to hummus, courtesy of the favorite Food Network chef of every straight guy I know, Giada De Laurentiis. Sure, I’ve been known from time to time to refer to her as “That Annoying Giada,” but girlfriend can cook. Is it possible that I’m jealous? No. Maybe.

This recipe was shared with me by my friend Suzanne, and die-hard hummus lover that I am, I originally didn’t see the point of making it. It has similar elements: beans, garlic, lemon, salt…and yet the fresh parsley and cannellini beans give it a unique identity. It is lighter, less dense, and less in-your-face than hummus; a nice companion to summer cocktails. Whenever I find myself with extra parsley that is not long for this world, I whip up a quick batch of Giada’s white bean dip.

Giada’s White Bean Dip

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves

Salt to taste (I use about 1/2 t.)

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.

Amy’s Texas Caviar

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I first tried this Texas caviar at my friend Amy’s house, and I was surprised at how much I liked it. I have tried other Texas caviars through the years, but none of them ever impressed me all that much. However, this one has the perfect blend of sweetness and tartness, plus the smoothness of avocado. Don’t be overly concerned about the cup of sugar; the marinade is drained before serving, so most of it is not consumed.

My friends who ate this tonight gave it high praise, so I’m not the only one smitten with Amy’s Texas caviar. I followed Amy’s lead and served it with Fritos Scoops. I am quite sure we can find healthier delivery systems if we tried, but the salty Fritos really are a lovely compliment.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 cup sugar

1 can black eyed peas, rinsed well

1 can shoepeg corn, rinsed well

1 can pinto beans, rinsed well

1 jar red pimentos, rinsed well

1/2 diced green pepper

1/2 diced red onion

1 avocado, diced

cilantro

parsley

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Mix first 3 ingredients in a saucepan to make marinade. Bring to a boil and let cool.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl except for avocado, cilantro, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour marinade over this at least 2 hours before serving. Drain just before serving. Add diced avocado, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.

Dawn’s Ten Tomato Garden Salsa

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Google “salsa recipes” and you will find approximately four million. This is my own spin on classic salsa. Is it unique? Not especially. Is it a good use of ten tomatoes from a garden overrun with tomatoes? Most definitely! It is simple and fresh, with a bit of heat…probably somewhere between medium and hot.

Ingredients:

10 ripe (but not necessarily perfect looking) tomatoes. I used mostly Romas today.

2 jalapeno peppers, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped (not minced)

1/2 red onion, diced

1 Vidalia (or other sweet) onion, diced

1 lime, juiced

1/2 to 1 cup of cilantro, chopped

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for tomatoes, and mix well. Use caution when handling the jalapenos.

Dice tomatoes and add to the bowl. Stir gently. Cover and chill for at least two hours to let the flavors properly develop. You will want to try it sooner, but don’t! It will be worth the wait. This yields a lot of liquid, so use a slotted spoon when placing in serving bowl.

Almost the last of the tomato crop.

Two of the dozens of jalapenos we have growing in our garden.

Just add chips and beer!

Citrus Tapenade

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This is my sixth recipe posted, the fifth of which contains garlic (the only exception being the chocolate chip cookies…and I’m pretty sure garlic will never find its way into the Dessert section). I’m not sure what that says about me, my cooking, or my breath. My immune system, however, is usually quite hearty.

This is possibly the easiest thing I make, yet it always elicits rave reviews from my olive loving friends.  Serve with a thinly sliced baguette and voila! Simple little addition to your appetizer offerings.

Citrus Tapenade

2 cups pitted Kalamata olives

Zest of 1 orange and/or 1 lemon

1 clove garlic

Handful of fresh rosemary and/or thyme

One hot pepper or a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper

1 cup Italian parsley

1 to 2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Pulse all ingredients except olive oil in food processor until well combined but still a bit chunky. With food processor running, slowly drizzle olive oil until desired consistency is achieved.

Dawn’s Famous Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

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Like many people, I have been making hummus for years, and I never put too much thought into the ingredients: chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, salt, garlic, etc. Hummus, like pizza, is hard to screw up. But also like pizza, there is good and then there is gooooood. I first discovered hummus in 1989 while in school outside of London. We had a large Middle Eastern population, so hummus was frequently part of our cafeteria’s offerings. It was love at first taste for me!

Years ago, I started serving this every Friday night with homemade bread. Then I gained 20 pounds and tried to lay off the bread a bit. My husband and I would open a nice bottle of wine, sit in the living room, and exhale after a long week.

I like my hummus with a bit of a kick. I have tweaked this recipe over the years, and not to brag, but I am kind of famous for my hummus. It is not difficult, but the devil is in the details, and that’s what makes this hummus great.

Dawn’s Famous Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

1 can chick peas, 15.5 oz.

1/2 teaspoon iodized salt (not sea salt, not kosher salt)

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ cup roasted red peppers (approximately two big pieces)

A few very generous sprinkles of cayenne pepper or one hot pepper of your choosing

Juice of one lemon

Two heaping tablespoons of tahini

Two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Combine the first four ingredients for about one minute in food processor. Scrape sides, then slowly add lemon juice from top chute while food processor is running.

In a small cup or bowl, mix together tahini and olive oil until very well combined, about a minute. With food processor running, add the tahini mixture until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Serve with bread, pita chips, or fresh vegetables if you want to be virtuous.