This simple but elegant dip is a great addition to your entertaining table…well, forget entertaining for a while…make it for yourself! This is part 2 of the Facebook Ingredient Self-Challenge. Today’s ingredient is asparagus.
Recipe Prep time – 15 minutes Refrigerate 1 hour Total time 1:15
Ingredients 16 thin asparagus spears, chopped 5 oz. salmon 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 2 T. half & half 4 scallions, chopped 2 T. fresh dill, chopped 1 tsp. smoked paprika 1 tsp. hot sauce such as Tabasco Salt and Pepper to taste
Bring a small pot of water to boil. Chop asparagus into small pieces. Boil asparagus for 1 minute only. Drain. Immerse into ice water bath to halt cooking. While asparagus is cooling, mix all remaining ingredients. When asparagus is cool, drain and add to mixture. Best if refrigerated for an hour.
This dip is delicious served with crackers or nacho chips. Optional: add a dash of Liquid Smoke to taste
Last weekend, I was looking for ideas for new recipe creations and decided to ask my Facebook Friends for help. I created a post asking for a single ingredient. Thanks to several of my friends, I found inspiration in creating a few new recipes. The next three posts are the result of this self-challenge.
I LOVE chili, particularly in the fall and winter. I mean who doesn’t? About 15 years ago, I was introduced to the combination of chili topped with cole slaw. Traditional spicy beef chili has been my go-to many Sunday afternoons during football season. However, I’ve been cutting way back on red meat so I was looking for a substitute.
This recipe includes 3 ingredients from the post: Eggplant, Poblano Peppers and Cabbage. Here’s a quick view of the process.
The Recipe Prep time 2 hours. Serves 8-10
Dill Cole Slaw 1 bag pre-cut slaw 1 C. mayonaise 1/3 C. sour cream 1/4 C. chopped fresh dill Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix All Ingredients. Refrigerate.
Chili 1 Medium Eggplant 1 Sweet Potato 3 Poblano Peppers 1 Large Onion-Chopped 3 Cloves Garlic 1-28 oz. Can Crushed Tomatoes
1-16 oz. Can Black Eyed Peas 1-16 oz. Can Black Beans 3 C. Water 1 Tsp. each Chili powder, Cumin, Smoked Paprika Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange eggplant, sweet potato, and peppers on a baking sheet. With a knife, make several small incisions into the sweet potato and eggplant. The poblanos with be ready first after about 30 minutes, the eggplant and sweet potato will take about 45 minutes. For faster cooling immerse the eggplant and sweet potato into an ice bath. In the meantime, heat a large pot over medium heat. Drizzle enough olive oil to cover bottom of the pot. Chop the onion and garlic, add to the pot, saute until onions are translucent. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove tops, slice, scrape out seeds and chop. When the eggplant and sweet potato are cool enough to handle, remove the skins and chop to desired size. Add all to the pot. Add crushed tomatoes and water. Drain the black eyed peas and black beans and rinse. Add to the pot. Add seasoning. Allow to heat through. I like to wait about an hour for all to meld together.
For Serving Ladle chili into a large soup bowl. Garnish with Dill Cole Slaw.
I’ve been making traditional ribollita (with chicken broth and pancetta) but wanted to experiment with a vegetarian version to serve to one of my vegetarian friends. I’m not a huge fan of pre-made vegetable broth and I needed a smokey substitute for the pancetta – so I chose fennel, leeks and smoked gouda.
Watch this video for a quick view of the process.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hr. 30 minutes
Servings: 8 hearty bowls
Vegetarian Ribollita
Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, Rough Chop
1 Fennel Bulb, Rough Chop
2 Leeks, Rough Chop
5 Carrots, Rough Chop
4 Cloves Garlic, Rough Chop
6 Cups Water
1 – 28 Oz. Can Diced Tomatoes
3 – 16 Oz. Cans Cannellini Beans, Drained
1 Box Frozen Chopped Spinach
3 Bay Leaves, 2 Tsp. Oregano
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 – 3 oz Block Smoked Gouda
Cover the bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Over medium heat, saute onions, fennel, leeks, carrots and garlic until onions are translucent. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer for about an hour until carrots are tender. Before serving, remove bay leaves.
Croutons
1 Loaf Ciabatta Bread (pre-sliced or whole)
Olive Oil Drizzle
Preheat oven to 375. Slice bread into chunks. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Bake about 10 minutes, keeping a close eye on the process. For best results, stir the croutons after about 5 minutes.
Plating
Place desired amount of croutons on bottom of large bowl. Ladle soup over croutons. Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
Alternatives
Replace the water with 48 oz. chicken broth. Replace smoked gouda with 6 oz. chopped pancetta.
