Dip

Artichokes take a little time to prepare, but it’s time well spent for a dish this extraordinary. The filling becomes hot, bubbly, and creamy, like an individual serving of warm artichoke dip for each diner. You can get most of the prep work out of the way well ahead of time, too; the artichokes can be boiled earlier in the morning and baked later or, if you prefer, the whole dish can be prepared a day in advance, as it reheats very well.

Despite the apricot topping, this is a savory dish, not a dessert, and it’s a knockout addition to an appetizer buffet. Be sure to pat the bell peppers dry with paper towels and don’t chop them too fine or they will turn the cheese filling pink. Note that the pan size is a bit unusual so make sure you have the right one before you start the recipe.

Some days, the fats and sugars of life must be avoided, but you can still squeeze in a little chocolate. I usually prefer natural ingredients like whole milk and real sugar, but on diet day, everything must be skinny, and I use sugar substitutes. Swirl a green apple slice through this dip in the afternoon, make a cup of green tea, soak up all your antioxidants, and you’ll forget that you’re even on a diet.

With their slightly caramelized flavor, roasted vegetables make a wonderful spread. Serve with pieces of toasted whole-grain pita rounds or baked tortilla chips.

You can enjoy this protein- and fiber-packed, easy-to-prepare dip on baked tortilla chips or in Vegetarian Taco Salad (page 94).

The subtle, fresh taste of dill is at its best when teamed with cucumbers. Cut some into spears, rounds, or wedges and try them with this super-simple dip.

I love dips because I think they “force” people to eat more veggies. Now that’s great if the dip isn’t doing more damage than the veggies are adding in health benefits, which is not the case with many dips. But fortunately, this is one that helps people eat more veggies and adds extra nutrients.

I’ve tried making onion dip with fat-free sour cream but just couldn’t stomach it. The texture is just so off. On occasion I’d indulge by using light sour cream, but then I felt I had to be mindful of how much dip I was eating. Using a thick Greek yogurt, like Fage, I can finally eat as much dip as I want. Though it doesn’t taste exactly like full-fat sour cream, it does provide the same texture and a great (though different) flavor. Please note that depending on the brand of soup mix you use, the perfect amount will vary slightly. I’d start with 2 teaspoons and then continue adding, tasting as you do, until it suits your tastes. You can look for all-natural or organic onion soup mixes. I find the flavors differ significantly among brands, so try numerous brands if you don’t love the first you try.

Gina: We serve plenty of meals that are heavy on the pork fat—and we wouldn’t have it any other way! That’s why I like to balance out some menus with fresh vegetables and this classic creamy herb dip. It’s also a great way to get my girls and (big Neely) boys to eat their veggies. I like to serve this dip with vegetable crudités: try red and orange cherry tomatoes, blanched asparagus spears and broccoli florets, fresh radishes, green onions, and carrots. It also makes a fabulous spread for turkey or ham sandwiches.

Gina: My friends call me the collard-green queen—I love to cook them up any and every way imaginable. So it was only a matter of time before I decided to replace spinach with collards in the classic artichoke dip. Ohmigoodness, the results were even better than I anticipated. If you want to surprise your friends with something delicious and unexpected, this is the appetizer to prepare. You can buy baked pita chips to serve with this dip, but they’re so fun and easy to make that you might just want to do it yourself (which also gives you a little more control over the amount of salt and oil used). This dip goes well with salsa and sour cream on the side.

Although artichokes are delicious, don’t try to take down a fresh one. Even chefs have a hard time with them. Instead, use the best quality canned or jarred artichokes you can find. Just stay away from oil-packed artichokes, unless you want to turn this classic dip back into a high-fat dish. Using water-packed artichokes gives us wiggle room to use astonishingly tasty Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

The French call this appetizer caviar d’aubergine because the feel of the eggplant seeds on your tongue is similar in texture to that of fish eggs. A delicious and easy-to-prepare dish, it has been in the French Jewish repertoire since at least the turn of the last century, when Romanian immigrants introduced the French to their ways of grilling the eggplant with its dark skin intact, a technique learned in the Middle East via the Caucasus. At about the same time, Russian and Romanian immigrants also brought this so-called poor man’s caviar with them to France. Whereas earlier generations used a hand chopper to make this dish, often blending in either lemon juice and olive oil or tomatoes and green peppers, today most cooks pulse it in a food processor. Although it is easier to roast the eggplants in the oven, oven- roasting will not give you the smoky flavor that comes from grilling over an open flame. This is a recipe to play with. Add diced onion, cilantro, or paprika, if you wish, or a few tablespoons of grapefruit juice or even mayonnaise. I have tasted all kinds of eggplant caviar. The last was at a very upscale French Bat Mitzvah, where the eggplant, laced with pesto, spiced with cumin, and decorated with tiny pansies, was served in an eggshell at the Kiddush after the service.

A number of popular Lebanese dishes which go under the name of fatta (see page 222) involve yogurt and a bed of soaked toasted or fried bread. This one is served for breakfast accompanied by scallions and green peppers cut into strips.

You have to love garlic to appreciate this most ancient of sauces.

Serve this in a bowl with plain boiled or steamed vegetables such as runner beans, zucchini, or cauliflower.

You need good feta cheese for this. Serve with pita bread to dip in.

Chickpeas are so common in the Arab world that they could be a symbol of it. The pureed version combined with tahina has become ubiquitous in the West, but this one, without tahina, called “hummus habb” or “sada,” is nice too, if you dress it with plenty of lemon juice and olive oil.