Dips can be mega-easy to make and can usually be prepared a day or so ahead of when they are served…and be all the better for being prepared ahead since it gives time for the flavors to meld and develop. I am all for not going completely crazy on the day of an event. (even though despite all my prep work ahead of time I do still tend to veer towards the loony bin in the hour leading up to a party…someday I will learn to calm down, really!)
I found the original version of this recipe on Epicurious.com but altered it since at the time I didn’t have whole cumin or caraway seeds on hand. This Roasted Pepper and Garlic dip takes a little more work than some other dips, that are basically one step of throwing everything in a bowl and mixing it. For this dip you first oven roast a red pepper and garlic cloves. These roasted veggies are then blended with the remaining dip ingredient to create a lovely orange dip with a ton of flavor.
Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Dip
(serves 6)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 small head garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne/red pepper
- Pre-heat oven to 450 F
- Quarter bell pepper lengthwise and discard stem, seeds, and ribs. In a shallow baking pan arrange quarters skin sides up.
- Separate garlic cloves, leaving skins intact. Wrap together in foil. Add garlic package to pan with bell pepper and bake in upper third of oven 20 minutes.
- When cool enough to handle, peel pepper and transfer to a blender. Remove garlic from foil and squeeze pulp into blender.
- Add remaining ingredients to blender and puree until smooth.
- Serve with veggies such as carrot sticks, zucchini spears, fennel crudites, or celery sticks.
Dip can be made 5 days ahead and chilled, covered.
