The Dip

The Dip

You would think the old school method of mixing a creamy base with dried soup mix ended with the 60′s… fortunately for the lazy host, it is still a perfectly acceptable way to create a delicious dip.

“The Dip” I like to make is based on a Spinach Dip recipe shared with me by my sister-in-law. After many attempts and tweaks, I adapted the ingredients to suit my taste and equipment. I found that my biggest obstacle was that I didn’t have a food processor…. so with my trusty electric hand beater (which I bought from K-mart 8 years ago for about $15) I found a way to make a delicious smooth and creamy dip. However, the good news is that I recently acquired a fancy new Food Processor, so I can whip it up in half the time.

Ingredients

• 2x blocks of Philadelphia cheese
  (softened by letting sit on the bench to warm to room temperature)
• approx ½ small tub of garlic and parsley sour cream
• approx 2-3 tablespoons  of mayonnaise
  (MUST be full fat as light/low fat is too tangy)
• 2x packets of Spring Vegetable dried soup mix
  (MUST be Spring Veg or the whole dip will taste different)
• ½ a very finely diced Spanish onion

Quick Version:
Sift the soup mix into a food processor, add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth

Manual Version:
Beat (with an electric hand mixer) the cheese until soft in a large mixing bowl
Mix in mayo and sour cream
Taste and adjust mayo/sour cream quantities to suit personal taste
(ie – add more sour cream if too tangy, add more mayo if too cheesy or creamy)
Sift in soup mix, add onion and mix until combined
Taste and adjust ingredients if required

*Best made night before to allow the flavours to develop

Fresh vegetables, crackers and torn French Stick are perfect accompaniments. You could also hollow out a cob loaf and fill it with the dip for an interesting (and edible) serving bowl.