Dip Day
Five dips that made me who I am today
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TW: Disordered eating, eating disorders
I’m going to tell you something few people know.
When I was a tween and young teenager, I suffered from disordered eating.
I knew I had a problem but because it didn’t neatly fit into anorexia or bulimia — the only two eating issues we knew about in the mid-nineties — I didn’t think it was that bad.
Looking back, it was bad. It was obsessive food diarising. It was feeling full to the point of sick on half a piece of toast. It was skipping lunch at school and fighting with my mum about hardly touching my dinner.
I never spoke to anyone about it. I felt alone. Angry. Sad. And sick all the time.
When I was 14, my parents moved me across the country and into a new school. Away from old habits — and far happier —my relationship with food improved. But for many years, I still wouldn’t eat much and I had zero interest in food. Until I was in my late teens, I could count on one hand how many times I’d been out for dinner in my life. And that was fine by me.
This continued until I met my now husband. He had a very healthy relationship with food. It was how his family celebrated everything from birthdays to Saturday nights.
Not long into our relationship — when I was 20 — we went on holiday. We booked a last-minute package deal to Greece.
This was a new one for me. Most of my travel experiences growing up were of my parents taking me to Romanian orphanages. Bundled into the back of a van and driving five days across Europe was rewarding but not exactly relaxing.
I didn’t know how to “do” a relaxing holiday. So it fell on my boyfriend to show me how it worked. And one thing he wanted to do was go out for dinner every night.
This was a crazy prospect for me. Dinner out every night? How was I ever going to cope with that? I’ll find the portion sizes too stressful. I won’t know how to order.
It’s OK, he told me. Because Greece does mezze. You can order as much or as little as you like.
So that’s what we did. We’d order small plates of cheese and salads and marinated vegetables.
And dips. So many dips.
Tzatziki, spiked with an unholy amount of garlic.
Creamy humous enriched with tahini.
Baba ghanoush with its smoky aubergine base.
That holiday was a turning point in my relationship with food. With the pressure off, I could explore food without the stress of having to finish my plate. And it turned out, I rather liked food.
Especially when dips were involved.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that this trip to Halkidiki made me who I am today. Someone who adores food. Who makes a living from it.
Someone who — by and large — no longer suffers from disordered eating.
In other words, I owe dips a lot.
And I want to celebrate them.
I am not afraid of making a whole meal just from dips, which is exactly what I did this week. I busted out five of my go-to dip recipes, ones that have been with me for years.
I called it Dip Day. And I’m telling you, when dips like these are set on the table with a batch of homemade flatbread, Dip Day is better than freaking Christmas.
These are not American-inspired (although granted I’m a big fan of those layered dips). Instead, they originate from places like Greece, Turkey, the Levant and North Africa. They’re heavy on the vegetables and yogurt.
These are live-affirming dips. And I owe everything to them.
On the table
Muhammara. A North African dip made with roasted red peppers, leftover bread, walnuts and spices. We used this recipe in my wine store and bar where Muhummara was one of our most popular dishes.
Baba Ghanoush. Smoky aubergines, garlic and tahini. Need I say more?
Hummus. A world away from those cheap supermarket tubs (throwing no shade here, I love supermarket hummus, but the real stuff is a different beast).
Tztatziki. The OG dip that started it all. Thick Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic and fresh herbs.
Beetroot Borani. An Iranian dip made with beetroot, garlic, yogurt and dill.
Muhammara
Makes enough for 4 people
3 red bell peppers
1 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 large garlic clove
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1.5 tsp pomegranate molasses
35g slightly stale good quality bread (around one slice)
45g / 1.5oz walnuts
A big pinch of sea salt
Pre-heat your grill or BBQ.
Prick the peppers and place them under the hot grill or onto the BBQ. Turn frequently (every 10 minutes under the grill or every 5 on the BBQ) until the skins are blackened. This will take around 30-40 minutes.
Place the blackened peppers into a bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to steam for at least 20 minutes.
Carefully (they might still be hot) slip off the skins and discard them, along with the seeds.
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until just a little texture remains.
Baba Ghanoush
Makes enough for 4 people as part of a spread
2 medium sized aubergines (eggplants)
30g / 1/4 cup tahini
1 large garlic clove
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp good quality olive oil
A good pinch of sea salt
Pre-heat your grill or BBQ.
Prick the aubergines and place them under the hot grill or onto the BBQ. Turn frequently (every 10 minutes under the grill or every 5 on the BBQ) until the skins are charred and the flesh inside feels soft. This will take around 30-40 minutes.
Split open the aubergines and let them cool to the touch.
Scoop out the flesh and put it in a colander to drain out as much water as possible.
Add all ingredients to a blender. Pulse until smooth.
Hummus
Makes enough for 4 people
400g / 14oz canned or jarred chickpeas (drained weight)
75g / scant 1/2 cup tahini
Approx 3 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
Approx 3 tbsp good quality (but not overpowering) extra virgin olive oil
Big pinch of salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Ice cubes
TIP NO.1 for great hummus — skin and then boil your chickpeas. If you don’t, the hummus will never be smooth. Stick on some TV, music, a podcast, or whatever, and get skinning. Then boil them on the stove for around 15 minutes.
Drain the chickpeas and reserve the cooking water.
Place all the ingredients apart from the olive oil and salt in a food processor or in a vessel ready to be stick blended.
TIP NO. 2 for great hummus — add ice cubes to the processor before blending. I don’t know the specifics about why this works but it makes the hummus super smooth. I normally add two or three small cubes to start.
Blend for a minute or so. Now it’s adjustment time.
The hummus will likely be incredibly thick, so add some of the reserved water a tablespoon at a time. Add a big pinch of salt and half the oil. Pulse blend, taste again.
Add more oil, more salt and / or more lemon juice if you think the flavour needs adjusting. Add more reserved water if it’s still too thick
Once you’ve got your desired texture and flavour, continue to blend for another few minutes. The longer you blend, the smoother the hummus will be.
Once it’s ready, you can leave it covered in the fridge for a few days or until you’re ready to use.
Toppings
Roast chickpeas and whack them on top.
Make this a whole meal by adding spiced chicken or spiced cauliflower.
Tzatziki
225g / 1 cup plain yogurt, the thicker the better
1 medium-sized cucumber, peeled, deseeded and grated
1 clove of garlic smashed to a paste with a little rough salt using the side of a chef’s knife
Dried / fresh (chopped) dill and mint (approx 1 tsp each)
Optional - 1 tsp finely chopped parsley
Pinch of sea salt
Take the cucumber and squeeze out as much water as possible. I like to place the cucumber in a double layer of kitchen roll or in a clean tea towel and squeeze it between my hands.
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix. Taste and adjust for salt if required.
Beetroot Borani
Makes one bowl’s worth.
2-3 small to medium-sized whole beetroot or ready-cooked beetroot (not in vinegar)
1 garlic clove roughly chopped
Greek yoghurt / vegan alternative — start with 3 tbsp worth and add more if required
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried or fresh dill
Salt to season
If you’re using raw beetroot, boil them (skin still on) in a saucepan until tender. This will take around 40-50 minutes depending on your beetroot.
Drain and leave the beetroot to cool. Once cool enough to handle, slip off and discard the skins with your hands and give the beetroot a rough chop.
Add the beetroot to a blender along with all the other ingredients.
Blend until smooth. Add more yoghurt if required and check for seasoning.
Toppings
Feta
Toasted pine nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds
Sesame seeds — either black or white
Leftover chickpeas
Leftover yoghurt
Leftover beetroot
Leftover aubergines
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Also just made the Muhammara. I did put a teeny bit of sherry vinegar in with the lemon juice. I could just eat that with a spoon. Reminds me of a rustic Rouille sauce. Utterly delicious
Well the Beet Borani is just delicious. Won’t last long around here