Very Green Avocado-Tahini Dip

This week is all about red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July, but why not add some green? A few days ago, I mentioned how much I’m enjoying the new book Wild About Greens, and this is another recipe from its pages. Here, the greens are arugula leaves which bring even more green color to a dip made with avocado. And, this very green dip just happens to be great for a summer party. I didn’t set a timer when I served it, but I can tell you that from the moment the bowl of dip appeared until the second I noticed that bowl was completely empty, very few minutes elapsed. It had to have been a record. The dip is sort of a cross between guacamole and hummus given the avocado and tahini, but mostly it’s a fantastic match for raw vegetables or chips.

You could use spinach or arugula here, and since I had some CSA arugula, that’s what I used. The rinsed arugula leaves were quickly wilted in a hot saute pan and then set aside. Into the food processor went a peeled and diced avocado, some tahini, the juice of a lemon, ground cumin, some cilantro, and salt and pepper followed by the cooled arugula. The mix was processed until smooth, and the dip was ready. I served it with sliced cucumber and celery to stick with the green theme and made some baked whole grain tortilla chips for dipping as well.

I knew this was going to be delicious, but I was shocked at how quickly it was consumed. The recipe below shows the quantities I used, but next time, I’ll definitely double it.

Very Green Avocado-Tahini Dip
Recipe reprinted with publisher’s permission from Wild About Greens

About 1 1⁄2 cups

A marriage of guacamole and hummus—and infused with a good amount of leafy greens—this rich dip makes its own unique statement. Serve it with tortilla chips, fresh pita, pita chips, raw veggies, or any combination that suits you.

3 to 4 ounces baby spinach or arugula, or a combination
1 large, ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1⁄3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
Juice of 1 lemon
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, cilantro, or dill
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Rinse the greens and place them in a large skillet or saucepan. With just the water clinging to the leaves, cook the greens until just wilted down. Remove from the heat.

Place all the ingredients in the container of a food processor, and process until smooth. Add 1⁄4 cup water, as needed, to achieve a medium-thick consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl. Keep covered until ready to serve.

Serve at once as suggested above. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

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Pretzel Bites

When I read a cookbook, I always take mental notes of the things I really, really want to make. Admittedly, I have a messy, confused pile of notes in my head at this point, but I eventually remember them when an occasion for each arrives. Sometimes it takes a while though. I’ve had the lovely and thorough Martha Stewart's Hors D'oeuvres Handbook since 1999, and I just finally made the pretzel bites that looked so tasty when I first saw them in that book over ten years ago. There’s one less note cluttering up my brain now. I feel better. It’s nice to make room in there for new notes. I remember when I first saw these addictive, little snacks. They looked great for a party, and I thought they’d partner perfectly with ice cold beer. We had a few friends over for happy hour at our house a couple of weeks ago, and I got to try these mini pretzels at last. They’re made from an easy dough that’s cut into bite-sized pieces that are boiled and baked. You can top them however you choose, and I made two versions using grated parmesan for one and a mixture of crushed fennel seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and salt for the other.

The yeast dough, which was very much like pizza dough, was made in a stand mixer, and then it was kneaded on a floured board until smooth. It was left to rise for about an hour and a half. The dough was divided into 16 portions which were each rolled into a rope and then cut into three-quarter inch pieces. The pieces were boiled in batches of about 15 at a time for one minute in water with baking soda added, and then they were placed on oiled baking sheets. The boiled pieces were brushed with an egg wash, topped as desired, and then baked in a 450 degree F oven for about 15 minutes.

This recipe makes a lot of pretzel bites, but they do disappear quickly. It’s impossible to stop popping them into your mouth when they’re warm from the oven. They’re soft on the inside with a little crunch on the surface, and the salty toppings keep you coming back for more. The only criticism I have is that they’re not as amazing after they’ve sat for a few hours and even less so the next day. Re-warming them in the oven for about five minutes fixes that by bringing back that nice surface crunch, so I recommend it before serving if you’ve made them in advance. Then, don’t bother counting how many you’ve eaten, just refill the tray as needed.

I’m submitting this to Yeastspotting where you’ll find some seriously well-made bread.