Spicy Charred Corn Dip

I feel like hanging on to the last moments of Summer. Last night I joined a few lovely people to have a Summers-end soiree. But what’s that, September? I see you creeping up into my life.

During end of Summer we see some of the best produce in Nova Scotia, the markets are overflowing with cheap and beautiful produce. August and September bring luscious tomatoes, juicy stone fruit and sweet peaches and cream corn. Corn is everywhere, it’s cheap, it’s sweet and delicious. I’m pretty sure everyone loves it barbecued, with butter, salt and pepper but you can make so many amazing things with it, including this yummy dip!

Traditional corn dip isn’t barbecued, but since this was my attempt at Summer’s last hurrah, I figured I’d go all out. Now I warn you, taking photos of this dip was a challenge and I really feel my photos don’t do it justice in the least. Despite its looks, I promise it will surprise you. The sour cream and cheese makes this dip creamy, the charred corn and veggies mixed with chipotle flavours give it a slightly smokey base. The caramelization of the corns natural sweetness balances the spicy peppers, cumin and hot sauce. To put it simply, this dip has it all. It also had loads of veggies so it’s healthy right? This recipe makes about 5 cups of dip, enough for a crowd of hungry people.

Spicy Charred Corn Dip

BBQ

• 4 ears of corn
• 2 green onions
• 2-3 jalapenos
• 2 small bulbs or one large bulb roasted garlic
• vegetable oil and tin foil

dip base

• 1 pkg cream cheese (8oz)
• 2 cups of grated monterey jack, for more heat use pepper jack or jalapeno cheddar
• one small container of sour cream (250 mls/1 cup)
• a few dashes of chipotle hot sauce or 1/2-1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced
• 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp-1 tsp of garlic salt
• 1 tsp of ground cumin
• salt and pepper
• salt and pepper

Method

Open a package of cream cheese and add to a large-sized mixing bowl. Pre-heat your BBQ to medium-high.

Cut the tops off the garlic, brush with olive oil and wrap in foil. Husk the corn, and lightly brush everything with vegetable oil. Fill a medium-sized bowl with ice and enough water to just cover the ice. ***In my photos you will see one ear of corn that wasn’t husked, but for the dip make sure all the corn gets husked.

Place all the vegetables on the BBQ and grill. Green onions will only take 2-3 minutes, jalapenos will take 5-6 minutes depending on the size and the corn and garlic will take about 10-12 minutes. Try to get a good char on the corn for extra flavour.

As you take the jalapenos off the barbecue drop them directly into the ice water and cover. As long as you have charred the skin well, you should have no issues peeling it off. Remove the seeds and stem, and set the aside.

While the veggies cool, cream the cream cheese and add sour cream cumin, cilantro, garlic salt and chipotle hot sauce and mix well.

Grate the cheese; chop the green onions, jalapenos and add to the cream cheese base.

Express and mince the garlic; remove the kernels from the charred corn and add to the same mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.

Do not add extra hot sauce at this point, this dip improves the longer it sits. I would recommend covering it and letting it sit in the fridge for at least 5 hours before eating (overnight would be ideal).

Before you are ready to eat it, give is a good stir and adjust the heat level to your taste with more hot sauce or more fresh jalapenos. Garnish fresh cilantro, green onion or chopped fresh tomatoes. Serve with organic blue corn chips, flat breads, or pita chips.

I think this dip would work well heated. You could certainly top with more cheese and bake at 350 F for about 15-20 minutes broiling for the last few. If anyone tries it heated let me know how it turned out! Savour the last bits of summer and all the fresh produce!

Tomato Olive Bruschetta for One

Hey Guys!

It’s been awhile, I know. I’ve missed you. I have been living a plain-jane life, eating very clean and healthy and running with my dogs.

I finally have my camera battery replaced and sunlight is back in my life (Nova Scotia had some tiresome rainy cold days last month) so I figured I would end the hiatus with a super simple open-faced sandwich for one.

The thing I love about Italian food is that they let the ingredients speak for themselves. While you don’t need a lot of anything one thing for this recipe, the quality of the ingredients matter.

I used a French bakery ‘belge’ which is really great for toast and sandwiches as its super crusty on the outside but mildly sour and really chewy on the inside. When toasted it’s very crisp and can stand up to the weight of the tomatoes.

I used a local tomato, imported black olives, locally grown basil and a good olive oil and vinegar. Simple stuff.

Eating this open-faced tomato sandwich and calling it bruschetta for one, seems as elegant as a perfect summers day. Fancify your life. Serves one.

Tomato Olive Bruschetta for One

• 1 medium-sized ripe tomato, seeded and diced
• 3-4 black olives pitted and diced
• a few leaves of basil, torn
• 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and trimmed
• 1 slice of crust white bread, toasted

Method

Wash, seed and dice the tomato and place in a small bowl. Pit and dice the olives and add to the tomatoes.

Stem and then tear the basil into smaller pieces, adding to the bowl with balsamic and olive oil. Toss and season with salt and pepper.

Peel a garlic clove and cut off the top of it so it has a flat edge. Toast the bread and once it’s well toasted, rub the raw garlic over the top of the bread.

Pile the bruschetta onto the toast. Serve immediately with a glass of white wine.

Green Olive Fougasse

So tots-no-bigs but this is my 300th blog post! I can’t believe it! If you are a regular reader you are probably thinking to yourself she posts a few times a week, it’s been over four years…how can this only be her 300th post? Well I can tell you, I didn’t always post this much. Sometimes I would have a month or two with no posts, but that time is over, and I hope I’m celebrating my 400th post sooner than later.

So what do you make for your 300th post? Anything you would like. Secret number two in exposing myself, this kind of crept up on me and I didn’t plan anything special, but coincidentally, I made something special none the less.

Post number 300 is all about bread, French green olive bread (fougasse). It’s delicious, I totally ate half a loaf in one sitting, no butter, no remorse.

In the search for a perfect fougasse recipe, I  found one on Serious Eats. After doing some research I have= to assume that Dorie Greenspan makes a perfect fougasse because just about everyone highlights her recipe as the one to use to make this rustic flat bread.

The one thing I had a hard time with was that I don’t have a stand mixer, and the reason  I do not have one is because my kitchen is not tiny but my storage space is (very) lacking. Just because you do not have a stand mixer doesn’t mean you can make amazing bread, although it does mean you need to put in a  tiny bit more effort in order to do so. If you are lucky enough to have space for one or at least own a stand mixer, following the instructions linked under the recipe title for Serious Eats may be to your advantage.

I should mention, this recipe takes a few days, not a few days worth of work, just a few days worth of waiting (audible sigh). You will become OK with-it, I promise. After you taste this rich buttery, chewy and soft, salty bread you will start another batch as soon as humanly possible.

Let’s talk ingredients. I used good quality garlic-marinated Sicilian green olives. I know, I know, it’s a French recipe and traditionally fougasse is made with black olives but as the recipe advises that it is closer to a focaccia in texture. I disagree slightly but the mix of fresh rosemary, lemon zest and garlic marinated green olives is to die for, trust me. 

Green Olive Fougasse

adapted from Serious Eats which is adapted from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.

• 1 2/3 cups plus 2 teaspoons warm water
• 2 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp agave nectar
• 4 tbs olive oil
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 cup whole, good quality green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1 tbs fresh rosemary, stemmed and minced
• 1 tbs of lemon zest
• coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Method

In large bowl add yeast, 2/3 cup of warm water and agave syrup. Stir to dissolve and let sit about 5 minutes. The yeast with froth on top and after the waiting period stir in one more cup of the water and 4 tablespoons olive oil.

Using a sturdy wooden spoon, add salt and then flour one cup at a time to the yeast mix. The dough will be soft and sticky, but you will need to use your hand to combine well. Once it’s been kneaded for a few minutes add the olives, rosemary, and lemon zest. I found this made the dough very hard to work with, as it seemed like the addition of wet ingredients separated the dough. Just keep kneading for an additional 2-4 minutes until all if combined. If a few olives pop out of the dough, don’t worry. It needs to rest for a while and will all become incorporated.

Spray a large sheet of plastic wrap with non-stick spray or oil and cover the top of the bread dough. Let rise at a room temperature between 60-120 minutes. If it’s warm leave it for 60 minutes if it’s cooler leave it for two hours.

At the end of the first rise, punch down the dough, recover and leave to rest at least overnight in the fridge. I left mine in there for almost 3 days but I wouldn’t leave it much longer. It will double in size and will be ready to bake when you are.

When you are ready to bake remove the dough from the fridge and divide into two halves. Pre-heat the oven to 450F when you are working with the dough.

At this point the dough should be pretty easy to work with but a tad on the sticky side. You can flour a work surface a roll out each dough half, but I took the lazy way and stretched it with my hands leaving it to rest on parchment paper. My doughs balls ended up being about 9″x11″ each.

I used a sharp knife and tried two different cuts. The bread is supposed to resemble a leaf or a blade of wheat. My first I cut a space for a ‘stem’ running up the middle.

However I prefer the look of the second one which just had six short diagonal cuts, three on each side mirroring the other. Either route you go, you need to use your fingers to try to pull open the spaces in between to give it room to expand.

Cover the dough and let rest for at least 15 minutes before baking. Position the oven rack to be in the middle or on the lower rack.

When dough is ready to bake mix, 1 tablespoon or olive oil with 2 tablespoons of water and brush the outside of each loaf, sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake bread for 10 minutes, rotate sides in the oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes. The bread should be a light brown and should be served warm with other appetizers.

Let it rest for about 10 minutes until it can be handled without gloves, and serve up with butter or olive oil. Delish!

Edamame Mint Dip

I have so much MINT. My pineapple mint exploded, and my (normal?) mint plant sprouted multiple trees. I can’t use it fast enough.

This was two weeks again and it’s grown about one third more. I think it’s time to repot it. Now if Rogue (my littlest dog) would please stop eating my purple basil and let that grow like a weed I’d be all set.

I took a chance, I’ve heard peas and mint are lovely together. I didn’t have peas in the fridge or freezer, but I did have edamame. They are just Japanese peas right? Just kidding. If you don’t know what edamame is it’s shelled soy beans. The revered source of tofu, soy milk, soy sauce and multiple other equally wonderful things.

This dip does not get as creamy as hummus, but does have a nice texture and flavour. It’s great as a dip on its own, and full of protein and good fats. It’s good as a sandwich spread, and I would love to try it over hot pasta with more olive oil and mint.

Edamame Mint Dip

• 2 cups frozen organic shelled edamame, cooked and drained
• 1/2 cup of the reserved water used to boil the edamame
• 1 small garlic clove minced
• 1/4 cup of fresh mint
• juice of one lemon
• 2 tbs almond butter
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Method

Boil salted water in a small saucepan. Add edamame and cook according tot he package directions. Drain the edamame, reserving 1/2 cup of the boiling liquid. Set aside to cool.

Add garlic to your food processor and pulse until minced. Add edamame and pulse again for a few seconds.

Add the remaining ingredients, except the reserved water and salt and pepper. Process until smooth stopping to add reserved water a few tablespoons at a time.

It took a few minutes to become smooth and I used about 1/4 cup of water to get a consistency I wanted. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Serve with veggies, pita, tortilla chips, or crackers.

Mediterranean Yoghurt Dip

We are forecasted to have an absolutely beautiful weekend in Halifax. Whenever nice weather comes our way I feel there are a few activities one must partake in. Now that the patios are out I totally support your decision to drink margaritas, sangria or beer by the pitcher on a patio at any fine Halifax establishment. If you don’t feel up to heading downtown for any reason (heads up the Blue Nose Marathon is this weekend) you should instead plan a BBQ, or a picnic. Invite some friends, or family or your neighbours and just relax with good people and food outside. Growlers from Garrison Brewery or Propeller Brewery should be invited, just sayin’.

When you do plan a BBQ this weekend, or get invited to one, remember that BBQing can be hard work, especially when you have a few hungry and slightly buzzed people hanging around you. To prevent ‘vulture’ syndrome, as I like to call it, make a dip before people come over so you have something to snack on while you sip on drinks and get to work cooking food.

I know what you are thinking, well what is a quick and easy dip, right? Why not try something new, something fresh and low in fat and calories and high in flavour like this Mediterranean Yoghurt and Feta Dip. You can choose to make labneh with 0% yoghurt and also use light feta to cut down on the calorie and fat count in this already good option. The lemon juice and zest adds zing, straining the yoghurt to make labneh makes it thick and creamy as cream cheese without the extra fat and the fresh veggies mixed with the salty feta and olives to give this dip bite.

If you are short on time you can use plain Greek yoghurt however it won’t be as creamy and thick as if you strain it the night before.

Mediterranean Yoghurt Dip

• 1 recipe of labneh, yields approximately 1+1/2 cups
• 1 green onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1-1 1/2 tbs)
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/3 cup finely diced mix of peppers
• 4-6 black olives, pitted and diced
• 1/4 cup of crumbled feta
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp olive oil
• freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste
• extra green onion and olive oil for garnish

Method

Make the labneh the day before you want to make this dip.

Prepare the vegetables, thinly slice the green onion reserving some for the garnish. Finely dice any peppers, pit and dice the black olives and place in a medium sized bowl with all the labneh. Zest and juice your lemon and add to the yoghurt along with olive oil, oregano, garlic salt and pepper. Stir all the ingredients together, and then add the crumbled feta and combine.

Check for seasoning, you may need a bit of sea salt. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving to let the flavours marry.

You can absolutely make this the night before you want to serve it. Garnish with more olive oil and green onions, serve with rice crackers or grilled Greek pita and veggies.

Not ready for something new? Why not try an old favorite like guacamole and pico de gallo that is great served with corn chips. Hummus of all kinds are welcome served with fresh veggies and pita. Dill dip goes great with thick pretzel sticks, or pretzel crackers but if you are craving a rich cheesy dip try my garlicky nacho dip.