Pea Dip With Parmesan plus Edamame Dip with Miso and Ginger
With dips there is always something new, because if you substitute “thick purée” for “dip,” the options are limitless. A friend takes last night’s vegetable dish, purées it with whatever it takes to get his food processor working — oil, lemon juice, water — adds other flavorings if necessary, and serves it to guests with crackers or crudités. Thinking about this got me started playing with green dips, made from peas (with mint and Parmesan) and fresh edamame (with miso and ginger). The pattern will work for almost anything you can dream up, and most results will yield a better-tasting if less nostalgic dip than the ’60s classic.
3 cups peas (frozen are fine; no need to defrost)
About 1 cup stock or water, as needed
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint or more to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pea Dip With Parmesan
1. Put peas in a pan with just enough stock or water to come half way up their height. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until peas are bright green and tender. Put all but 1 cup of peas in a food processor or blender, and add just enough cooking liquid to start purée. When purée is relatively smooth, transfer it to a bowl and stir in remaining cup of peas.
2. Add pine nuts, cheese, garlic, mint and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; taste and adjust seasoning, then thin with more liquid if necessary. Serve or refrigerate.
Edamame dip with miso and ginger:
- Combine 2 tablespoons miso with 2 tablespoons water.
- Substitute 3 cups cooked edamame for peas.
- Put all edamame, miso mixture, 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger and 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar in a food processor or blender and purée until relatively smooth.
- For a thinner consistency, add another tablespoon of vinegar or water.