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10 "Don't Forget the Dip" Dips
Published about 8 hours ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader,
People are happiest standing around a bowl of dip pretending they’re not still hungry. I learned this early. Set out a really good dip and suddenly guests stop checking their phones. Conversations loosen. Someone inevitably plants themselves beside the table “just for a minute” before absentmindedly finishing half the bowl while discussing weather, politics, or whether Fleetwood Mac peaked in 1977. For the record: difficult question. Dip has that power. It turns people casual. A bowl, a spoon, something crunchy nearby, and suddenly dinner doesn’t feel like an event with assigned seating and emotional expectations. It feels like summer. Loose. Salty. A little messy. Entirely willing to forgive you for not making a centerpiece. And let’s be honest: dips are where the party actually begins. Not the entrée. Not the salad behaving nobly in the corner. The dip. That’s where people gather, hover, graze, gossip, and do the delicate little dance of pretending they’re taking “just one more” chip when we all know this is now a relationship. I respect that kind of honesty. So this summer, don’t forget the dip. Make one creamy, one bright, one spicy, or one so garlicky it requires a group waiver. Put it out early. Let people linger. Watch the room soften. A good dip doesn’t just feed people. It gives them somewhere to stand.
My Dip Doctrine
Give it contrast. Creamy needs crunch. Rich needs acid. Mild needs heat. Otherwise you’ve just made edible beige.
Season it more than you think. Cold dips dull flavor, so taste again before serving. Salt, lemon, vinegar, herbs—wake it up.
Artichoke hearts are an essential store-cupboard ingredient for me. This is one of my favorites—delicious, quick, and simple to make, it's inspired by my mother. I always serve this at Christmastime, with toasted rosemary focaccia.
This blue cheese dip, made with just yogurt, vinegar, mayo, and blue cheese, is the best thing we can think of to dip, dunk, or otherwise devour with your Buffalo wings. Amazing flavor and no pesky preservatives.
Seven layer dip is a Mexican-inspired party staple made with beans, cilantro, cheese, avocado, tomatoes, and jalapeño. It's crazy easy to make as well as quite healthy. And it requires no cooking whatsoever. And this is the best darn rendition of it we've ever had.
This rich and creamy feta dip requires only 10 minutes and a handful of simple ingredients. Serve it with raw veggies and crackers, or use it as a salad dressing, sauce, or spread.
Choriqueso is a Mexican cheese dip topped with cooked chorizo sausage and a sprinkling of cilantro that is served with chips or warm tortillas. Makes a swell appetizer or even a meal unto itself.
Dips are the best, and not just because I like any occasion to serve potato chips. This creamy dip is just so easy to eat, and you can focus on one big flavor: Here, it’s a garden’s worth of dill, garlic, and lemon.
Serve this homemade queso with chips, on top of nachos, tacos, burritos…it will be good on almost anything in this book. You can’t go wrong with a big bowl of melty, salty cheese spiced just right.
Why, hello! Leite's Culinaria is the James Beard Award-winning site that helps home cooks and bakers put dinner on the table and laughs in the kitchen. Hungry for more? Join more than 30,000 food lovers and subscribe.
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