There’s a reason Alison’s friends call this “The Dip,” and why it’s the first recipe in nothing fancy. It’s fantastic. It’s creamy, spicy, and tangy. I served it as a dip with carrots, radishes, and almond crackers, and as a salad dressing. I savored every last drop.
To make it, you just need about 20 minutes of time and some organic green garlic on hand. Which means this is decidedly a late spring, early summertime appetizer. Perfect for those early days of summer when the sun is finally setting later and the deck is once again warm enough for a dinner party. It’s for when you start craving chilled white wine instead of warm red. (Of course, yes, you can substitute scallions for green garlic and make it all year round. But letting this dish be seasonal adds a level of specialness to it all, I think.)
Green garlic, you ask? Right, I hadn’t heard of it either. I knew about bulbed garlic, but I’d never seen green garlic. At least, I didn’t think I had. Towards the beginning of April, I noticed a small bin of what looked like extra long scallions appeared at Whole Foods. Their long fronds mimicked that of leeks, but they were thinner in size. I did some investigating, and sure enough, it was filled with bunches of green garlic. This recipe requires using the light green and white parts of it, just like a scallion. The thinly sliced garlic, though still potent, gave a more muted punch than would grated white garlic.
The bits of green garlic are simmered in olive oil along with cilantro and red pepper flakes. Alison says to do this until everything begins to “sizzle and frizzle” and the oil turns a “fiery orange.” To keep anything from burning, the pot is set over medium-low heat. For me, the sizzle-and-frizzle began about 5 minutes in, but the fiery orange never did. I let it all sizzle for 15 or so minutes, but the oil remained a golden yellow. My only hypothesis is that my pepper flakes were not potent or quality enough? But I’m open to other theories.
Once the oily mixture cools slightly, it’s swirled into a bowl of labne or yogurt and lemon juice, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and more fresh cilantro. (I used goat’s milk yogurt due to my stomach’s vendetta against cow’s milk.)
This one was a hit with the entire family.
71 recipes cooked, 154 to go.
