Makes 3-4 cups

Red Pepper Walnut Dip is so luscious,

and so sublime with bread or nacho chips. It’s also used as a sauce for kebabs, grilled meats, and fish. It kicks ass on a sandwich.

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Red Pepper Walnut Dip^[1] pairs perfectly with nearly any artisan bread, pita, Syrian bread, or toast. I love it with blue corn chips. (I like Garden of Eatin’ “Red Hot Blues,” but a less spicy blue corn chip would be just as nice.) It’s creamy, supported by an intriguing earthy meatiness, like … oh, I don’t know, Jason Statham. In terms of flavor, the sweet roasted red bell pepper is clearly in the driver’s seat.

I feel I need to say something to those of you who are going, “Eww, walnuts.” First, to hell with you. Second, fear not. The walnut flavor and its characteristic bitterness aren’t present in the dip. Neither is its distinctive texture; the nuts are ground to death before being incorporated into the dip. I perceive Red Pepper Walnut Dip not as a pairing of red pepper and walnut, but more as modulated red pepper.

If you’re serving this dip as an appetizer…

You should accompany it with wine or a cocktail, and perhaps a cheese if you want to build it out. A Cabernet Franc might work well, or a Cabernet Sauvignon if you’re not really sure what makes Cab Franc so fucking expensive. I bought a $20 bottle of Ravines 2011 Cabernet Franc (Finger Lakes) that I plan to serve with Red Pepper Dip in a few weeks. I’ll let you know how it goes after I uncork it.^[2] A fantastic white cheese, like a Comte, Double Worcester, maybe a Red Windsor, or a goat cheese would complement the dip. You could easily tweak the choice of bread and/or chips to accommodate your cheese choice. Adding cheese will help you emphasize this appetizer as more of a stand-alone course or elaborate snack – at your Superbowl party,^[3] for instance – making it more substantial. Other friends you might invite to this party: oil-cured olives, dry-cured sausage, corn relish or corn salsa – the kind of stuff you could easily find at Trader Joe’s. Now on the other hand, if this appetizer is going to introduce subsequent courses of an elaborate meal – like the one I’m planning to put together for Valentine’s Day this year – I’d give some thought to keeping it light, especially if you plan to end the meal with a heavy-hitting dessert. After a romantic Valentine’s dinner, you want your pants to come off, but not because your belly is about to burst.

Red Pepper Walnut Dip

If you’re serving this as an appetizer dip, 3-4 cups will serve 12-16 people, at around 4 “pieces” per person. If that’s more than you need, I recommend you make the full batch nonetheless, as it keeps well and freezes so spankingly. Move it to the fridge a day before you want to get it on. Have a bit leftover? Use it on a sandwich or on pasta.

Click here for the recipe. It comes from  Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable Heaven, which is one of my favorites of her many cookbooks. I love this recipe, because it steps you through roasting your own peppers,^[4] which is not only easy, but far more economical than buying a jar of roasted peppers. Plus, holding a big fat slice of warm pepper in your hand is nearly as indescribably sensual as popping that first bite of dip into your mouth while it’s still warm. Above room temperature, the dip’s texture is slightly lighter and the entire experience of putting it in your mouth is heady to the point of foodgasm. But I reserve that experience for myself. Warm Red Pepper Walnut Dip and I are strictly monogamous, so back off, MOFO. It’s wonderful at room temperature or cold, and that is how I always serve it.

Here’s an alternative recipe that uses walnut oil and breadcrumbs instead of walnuts.

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Notes:

Pairs well with this dip.

See Also:

Superbowl’s coming up, and you’re going to need a dip. It’s the law. You’re good to go with Red Pepper Walnut Dip. Here are a few more dips every man should have in his prep for Superbowl:

Dip

Dip

Dip

Next Up:

Shrimp Sandwich Roll