Buzz
The most sorrowful meal of the year is always the one right after returning from visiting family. For me, it's typically more of a random fridge forage than an actual meal, and I'm always left with so many questions: Is that leftover curry too old to eat, or am I just being cautious? Who took all my cheese? Why didn’t I stuff my suitcase with cookies?
I returned from a four-day trip earlier this week to find quite the scene. The cats had been busy: knocking over the food and water bowls the pet sitter had just refilled, scattering hats and gloves around the apartment, pushing my salt well into the trash can, and leaving exactly one poop on the stairs. After undoing all their hard work, the last thing I wanted to do was cook. Sadly, it was dinner time, and the leftover ham sandwiches we’d packed were long gone. I desperately craved some French onion dip and Ruffles, but for once, I made the responsible choice: I roasted some veggies and made us a dip.
For the smoothest dip, make sure you have a top-notch food processor:
Cuisinart 7-cup Food Processor
Ninja Professional 9-cup Food Processor
Hamilton Beach 12-cup Food Processor
Here’s the thing: it’s that time of year when a lot of people feel obligated to care about ‘clean eating’—or whatever trend the diet-industrial complex is pushing this week—but nobody wants to eat a healthy snack if it’s bland. This dip is the perfect solution: it’s just roasted veggies blended with tahini, water, and lemon juice, but it’s much more decadent than that simple list of ingredients suggests. It’s so easy to make and always tastes delicious no matter what vegetables you have on hand, so even the most empty post-vacation fridge is likely to have everything you need. You deserve this.
Charred vegetable and tahini dip
Making this is a breeze: roast some veggies until they’re perfectly charred, blend them with a tangy tahini sauce, and enjoy. While I’m partial to eggplant, I’ve also made this dip with carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, beets, various peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, kale, and even red cabbage with great results. If you can roast it, you can make it into a dip, so use whatever you have in your fridge. I had a head of fennel and some sad scallions that turned into an amazing dip.
Ingredients:
At least 1 pound of vegetables, peeled and/or trimmed if necessary (for vegetables that shrink a lot like kale or mushrooms, use more than a pound)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra as needed
1 clove garlic, peeled
Juice of 1 large lemon or 2 small ones
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
3/4 cup tahini or your favorite nut/seed butter
3/4 cup ice water, plus extra if needed
A handful of parsley, cilantro, mint, dill, basil, or a mix (optional)
Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Cut, tear, or slice the vegetables into pieces about 1 inch in size. Coat a baking sheet with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, spread the vegetables evenly on it, and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat, adding more oil if necessary to avoid dryness.
Roast the vegetables for 30 minutes to an hour, flipping them once or twice to ensure they brown evenly. The exact time will depend on your ingredients, but the goal is to have them dark brown and super soft. Don’t worry if they get a little charred—the slight burn adds deep flavor to the final dip. If you want extra char, you can broil them for a minute or two at the end.
While the vegetables roast, add the garlic, lemon juice, cumin (if using), and a pinch of salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times, then let the mixture rest for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. In the meantime, pour 3/4 cup of water into a container and top it off with ice cubes. Set it aside.
To make the tahini sauce, add the tahini to the lemon-garlic mixture in the food processor and blend until it thickens and becomes stiff, which should take 30 seconds to a minute. With the processor running, gradually stream in 3/4 cup of ice water a little at a time until the sauce is creamy and lighter in color. (Different tahini brands may require varying amounts of water, so add it slowly and use as much as needed.) Taste and adjust with more lemon juice, salt, or cumin if necessary.
Allow the roasted vegetables to cool until they are safe to handle with your hands. Transfer them to the food processor and pulse to blend with the tahini sauce, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add any fresh herbs you like (I used a generous handful of flat-leaf parsley), process until you reach the desired smoothness, and taste for seasoning. Once you're satisfied with the flavor, scoop the dip into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
Serve this dip with crackers and veggies as part of an appetizer spread, spread it on sandwiches, use it as a mayo substitute in chicken or egg salad, spoon it over roasted meats, or just enjoy it straight from the bowl with potato chips. This dip is universally loved, and there’s no wrong way to enjoy it—it’s that good!
