So one of my coworkers has this awesome Oscar party every year and asked people to bring a snacky-type food to share. Last year, when I wasn't trying to cook regularly, I brought 3 different dishes. This year, when I'm about 41 recipes behind where I should be, I only brought one.
Go figure.
It was a goodie, though!
Roasted Red Pepper Dip
makes around 1-2 cups?
3 red bell peppers
2 cloves garlic
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Cut up your bell peppers into slices, remove the seeds, and roast them. I did it on our George Foreman, but you can also do it under the broiler in your oven (or toaster oven, if you have one). It's done when they're soft and kinda smushy. The skin should get kind of wrinkly.
With the garlic, you have two options. For a mellower flavor, roast them briefly, and for a bit of a spicy flavor, keep them raw. Or you could roast one, and throw the other in raw.
Toss the roasted bell peppers and roasted or raw (or both!) garlic into a food processor, and process. It's never going to be smooth just because of the texture of the peppers, but it's up to you if you want chunks or not, based on what you like from your dips. Once it's pretty well blended, start adding in the olive oil, bit by bit, to help it reach the consistency that you want. Be sure to taste while you're adding, though, because if you add too much it can dilute the red pepper taste.
Then add the balsamic vinegar. Again, taste as you go, because you might want more or less depending on how much you like balsamic vinegar. I love it, so I tend to go on the heavy side.
Pour out, and serve with veggies or pita chips! Or, really, anything, because this stuff is awesome.
Survey Says
I'm probably kind of biased, but I think this stuff is amazing. My husband seems to like it too, since he's been eating it and putting it on sandwiches ever since. And my coworkers tend to like it as well, so I'm going to say it's a keeper.
