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Quick spicy tomato dip

  • 3 large ripe tomatoes – roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • garlic cloves – crushed
  • dash tabasco sauce – adjust to taste
  • salt/pepper

Puree all ingredients in a processor or hand blender. Season to taste. Serve with fresh vegetable crudities or crispy vegetable chips.

Hummus

  • 1 tin chickpeas – rinsed and drained
  • 2 garlic cloves – crushed
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • olive oil
  • 1 lemon – juiced
  • 2 spring onions or shallots – finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon paprika

Process the chickpeas and garlic with a blender. Add tahini, olive oil and lemon juice and a little water if required, and continue to blend. Stir in spring onions and season. To serve, sprinkle with a little paprika and a swirl of olive oil.

Baba ghanouj

  • 1 large eggplant – grilled/roasted
  • 3 garlic cloves – crushed
  • ½ cup tahini
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon tabasco (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • sprig of continental parsley (to serve)

The secret to making a great baba ghanouj is to grill the eggplant to impart the important “smoky” flavour to it. You can do this by holding it to a gas flame, in the barbecue, under a grill or in the oven. The skin should be blackened, blistered and charred by whatever process you use.  Wash eggplant and prick the skin several times with a fork. Roast the eggplant by either holding over a gas flame (turning to ensure it is grilled evenly all over, about 10 – 15 minutes) or place under a medium grill (turning frequently, about 10 - 15 minutes), now that the skin has been charred the flesh should also have softened. If not, put in an oven for a further 10 minutes to cook the flesh. The easiest method to roast and grill the eggplant in 1 process is to simply bake it in the oven for around 25 – 30 minutes (place on foil lined baking tray, turn occasionally.)  Set aside and let cool slightly. Peel off skin carefully. Scoop eggplant into a bowl and mash with a fork into a paste. Add other ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve in a bowl with a little parsley sprinkled on top.

Cannellini bean dip

  • 1 tin cannellini beans – rinsed and drained
  • 2 cloves garlic – crushed
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup continental parsley – roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt/pepper

Put all ingredients in a bowl and process with a hand blender, or mash with a fork, until coarsely combined. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Beetroot dip

  • 1 tin baby beetroot – drained and roughly chopped into smaller pieces
  • 1 cup greek style yoghurt
  • 2 garlic cloves – crushed
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • salt/pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Season to taste.

Note: an alternative to this method is to process all the ingredients in a blender to a slightly rough consistency.

Black olive dip

  • 400 grams good quality pitted black olives
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 2 cloves garlic – crushed
  • 1/3 cup virgin olive oil
  • 4 anchovies
  • 4 tablespoons semi dried tomatoes – chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon thyme leave
  • Salt/pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender except the tomatoes. Pulse to form a slightly chunky paste. Fold in the tomatoes and season to taste. Will last for a month in the fridge in an air tight container with surface covered in a thin layer of olive oil.

Vegetable crispsVegetable-crisps

  • 3 parsnips
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 2 large potatoes
  • 2 large beetroot

Wash, trim and remove vegetable skins. Using a peeler, peel the vegetables into strips. Alternatively, slice into very thin slices using a mandolin slicer. Place pieces on to a foil lined baking tray. Spray lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in a hot oven for about 30 minutes or until crispy (check after about 15 minutes.) Note – beetroot may take a little longer to cook.