Dips - - Page 3

by Borracho

Gridiron Grub: Peach Bourbon Wonton with Gorgonzola Mornay Sauce

If you saw the first post in our Gridiron Grub series, you know that I am a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. If the fact that I am writing about football food once a week doesn’t turn you off, the fact that I am an Eagles fan might.

Philadelphia sports fans get a pretty bad rap and only some of it is deserved. We’ve been accused of throwing snowballs at Santa, cheering when opposing players get hurt, throwing batteries on the field and earlier this year, there was coverage of this disgusting incident. Particularly well known is Section 700 of the old Veteran’s Stadium. It was home to a group of especially rowdy and inebriated fans.

I have had a difficult time getting excited about this year’s team considering we traded one of the most respectable guys in the league and are now starting the infamous Ron Mexico. Because of this, I have been reminiscing about some of the great times I have had with friends at games through the years.

This week’s recipe I put together as a testament to the 700 Section and all the other fans out there like me. Fiery and sweet; fun and a little boozy.

by Borracho

I’ll Take that as a Condiment….

Salsa! Like any good condiment — ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, sriracha, horseradish, kimchi, hot sauce, chutney, etc… — we’ve all got a jarred version in the cupboard that we turn to when needed to cover up a dish that would otherwise be a mistake. But a good condiment shouldn’t just enhance our food, it should also be good enough to stand alone.

Salsa, of course, just means sauce, and can come in many varieties. At their best, they’re straight-forward to make, but their beauty is in the abundance of fresh local ingredients available this time of year. Here are my four favorite recipes using the season’s great tomatoes, tomatillos, avocados, corn and more…

by gansie

A Pain in the Ass, A Pleasure in the Stomach

I’ve heard about these suckers for a very long time. Raves. Raves. Raves. And as diligent as I am in eating what’s in season, I sometimes miss very short-seasoned produce. But this time around, in what one vendor labeled as the last available weekend, I scored a quart of fava beans.

Lord these beans take a lot of work. I didn’t follow a recipe, just the quick advice Mt. Pleasant Farmers’ Market manager Rebbie called out to me before 80P and I schlept back to our apartment.

She commanded that the process required 2 beers and a friend. One beer for releasing the beans from the pod and the next for releasing the bean from its skin. Because of my bachelorette party induced hangover, I skipped the beers but still persuaded 80 to be my friend in the process.

Sesame Enhanced Fava Bean Puree

First I took the fava beans out of the pod. After the de-podding, I boiled the beans for a minute and a half, shocked them, and then removed the skins. A not difficult, but slightly annoying process, especially as waves of hangover fell upon me. In case you’re wondering why I’m going through this multi-step process on what should have been a lazy weekend afternoon, it is because I wanted to bring a snack for the World Cup watching party.

in Recipe / Veggie 12 comments

by gansie

A Heartbreaking Taste of the Skyline

It was a sad day at the 80P and Gansie apartment on Saturday. Our lives were devoid of luck and wins, but thankfully, not of tequila shots and delicious dip.

First, Duke basketball lost a tight one to Georgia Tech. Then we had our friends Raj and Laura over for the Bengals game. The Cincinnati locals are huge fans and even brought over a special straight-from-Cinncy snack. The orange and black lost, though. And then. And then. The Eagles.

We should have left the apartment. Altered the mojo. But no, we kept in our same seats (although Raj did bring some outfit changes, switching gear depending on the flow) and watched the third losing game of the day.

However, I did learn the secret assemblage to a Midwestern treat. Which I’m sure tastes much better over not-missed field goal attempts. Sorry, Raj and Laura!

But as my friends’ Facebook messages say: 5 weeks until pitchers and catchers.

in Recipe 3 comments

by gansie

Turning Gross into Dip

80P and I attended a latke themed Chanukah party this weekend. Like most Saturdays, we were still hungover well after the sun set and therefore arrived at the open house party in its last hour. We were starving. In the car ride over I lusted after the idea of greasy potatoes. When we got to the party there was ONE latke left. Sure, I’ll take that as a Chanukah miracle, but one just wasn’t going to cut it.

80 and I stayed at the party for a while, chatting with old coworkers about lobbying for the banking industry, receiving health insurance through organized labor, and gushing over Annise Parker‘s pending victory as Houston’s mayor. Yes, I know. It’s so very DC.

The party landed 80 and I in the unfamiliar chain-filled land of Northern Virginia. We asked for a dinner recommendation and settled on Silver Diner. Obviously I chose breakfast for dinner in the form of pancakes, scrambled eggs and a biscuit (which was a sub for bacon/sausage.) 80 ordered a meat-heavy sandwich on buttered sourdough featuring chicken, ham and bacon. The sandwich came with fries and this eerily green-tinted cole slaw. I stole a few fries from 80 but we both refused to try the cole slaw, citing our mutual dislike for the side, especially a green tinted one.

The next morning 80 woke up dedicating his stomach to vegetables. I obliged.

in Recipe / Veggie 7 comments

by BS

Dumbest. Packaged. Food. Ever.

You know we’re not big fans of Sandra Lee-style cheating here at ES, but I gotta be honest about something: I have a weakness for those tiny little packages of onion dip mix. Sure, it’s a long way from actual cooking, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t a great way to make sour cream hella tasty in about 15 seconds. My aunt used to serve this dip with chips every Christmas Eve and me and my brother would sit there and literally devour the entire bowl in — well, about another 15 seconds.

Yeah, I’m not ashamed to admit it — I actually get a little excited about pre-made dip mixes. So I was interested when my mom recently brought me some leftover items from one of those over-the-top gift baskets her office gets for random occasions and it included a package of roasted red bell pepper and goat cheese dip mix. ‘Yum,’ I thought. Looks like instant dips are getting a gourmet upgrade. I’m in for an even fancier 15-second dip-making experience. Then I read the fine print at the bottom of the package:

in Rants & Raves 11 comments

« Previous