It’s the holiday season and your list of things to do keeps growing. Entertaining your guests with gourmet fare, however, can be quick and easy with quality ingredients and recipes from the pros. Travelling Gourmet’s Frances Metcalf suggests this hearty appetizer for your next party – she says even guests who normally dislike olives have all given it rave reviews (although you can easily omit the olives and just turn out a tasty rosemary dip).
For a more health conscious version, omit the olive oil and sour cream and substitute plain low-fat yogurt. You can make this up a day or two ahead of time and it will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Any leftover dip can be used as an alternative to mayonnaise on grilled veggie sandwiches. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
Rosemary Olive Dip
Ingredients
- 1 – 19 oz can garbanzo beans
- juice of one freshly squeezed lemon
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 5 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 sun dried pitted olives (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- baguette, flat bread, pita bread
Directions
- Drain garbanzo beans and rinse well under cold running water.
- Place all ingredients in food processor.
- Mix on high until bean dip has a creamy consistency (2-3 minutes), wiping down sides with a spatula when needed.
- Mound in bowl and surround with pita, flat bread or baguette slices (drizzled with olive oil and placed in a 400 degree oven for five minutes).
- Drizzle dip with a splash of olive oil and a sprig of rosemary for garnish and serve.
About the Author Frances Metcalf is a personal chef and caterer based in Vancouver. Her services can be viewed at Travelling Gourmet
