Tasty Party Dips for New Year’s Eve

With New Year’s Eve upon us this weekend, I thought that a few tasty and easy to make Dips would come in handy if you are planning a house party for the occasion! The dips can be used with crisps, crackers, potato wedges, cut-strips of carrot or celery, tortillas, oven chips, breadsticks, samosas, spring rolls or anything else that takes your fancy! These recipes each make enough for 10-12 people. Happy New Year!

Smooth Prawn Dip

250g Philadelphia cheese

1/4 small onion, peeled and chopped

Bunch of parsley

2 tbls Lemon Juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

1/4 tspn black pepper

200 g cooked, peeled prawns

Directions:

Mix all together in a blender and chill for 1 hour before use.

Sweet Chilli Mayonnaise

3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

8 tablespoons mayonnaise

Directions:

Mix both ingredients together and serve straight away.

Avocado Guacamole

4 mild chillies, finely chopped

A wee bunch coriander, chopped

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

Pinch of salt

1 medium onion, chopped

1-2 tbsp water

Juice of ½ Lime

3 ripe Avocados

Directions:

Peel & dice the avocado and leave aside. Mix all the other of the ingredients together in your blender keeping them chunky. Tip this into a bowl and add the avocado. Mash all together, keeping it chunky! Chill for 1 hour before use.

Mint & Mayonnaise Dip

3 tbls Mint sauce

250g Mayonnaise

Directions:

Mix both ingredients together and serve straight away.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

600g chopped tomatoes, de-seeded if you wish

1 chopped green pepper

3 garlic cloves, chopped fine

4 scallions small

2 tablespoons fresh coriander

1 red chilli chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 tspn salt

Directions:

Chop everything small but not finely. You can do a quick pulp in the blender but keep it chunky and don’t let it go into a puree! Chill for 1 hour before use.

Hummus

200g canned chickpeas

2 tbsp lemon juice or more

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

Pinch Salt

100ml Tahini (optional)

4 tbsp water

2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Drain the chickpeas and rinse. Combine all and mix in a blender to a creamy purée. Add more lemon juice, garlic, cumin or salt to taste. Tahini is a ground sesame seed paste you can get in most health food shops. Substitute 1 tbls sesame oil if you don’t have any tahini. Chill for 1 hour before use.

Don't forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this Post!
zack

This Week’s Guest Chef – John McIntyre

This Week’s Guest Chef  is John McIntyre.

Chef at The Olde Castle Bar & Restaurant, Donegal Town

Born in Dublin, John McIntyre started cooking at the tender age of fifteen and learned the value of fresh, locally sourced produce from that early age. A keen sea-fisherman, John also loves trying out old recipes, putting a modern twist on the dish using ideas from abroad intertwined with traditional methods. He worked in Greens of London and Killakee House in the Dublin Mountains, reputedly the most “haunted restaurant in Ireland”, but it didn’t worry John!

John is now the Head Chef at the Olde Castle Bar & Restaurant in Donegal Town. This stone floored restaurant serves a selection of Seafood & Traditional Irish dishes, served with a modern twist. The Olde Castle Bar has, over the last few years, built a great reputation for it's food - recieving many accolades including Gastro Pub of Co Donegal in 2010. It is also included in the Bridgestone Guide.



The Olde Castle Bar's Seafood Platter for Two


John's Chargrilled Fillet Steak & King Prawns with a Basil Béarnaise

“Always get your meat from your local butcher and ask if has it been hung for at least twenty-one days. This will ensure tenderness and flavour,” says John. “I season my meat with cracked black pepper and sea salt – these bring out the flavour in the meat. I’m using Basil instead of the traditional Tarragon for this sauce as I think it works great with the Prawns.”

Basil Béarnaise Sauce

3 tablespoons white vinegar

3 tablespoons white wine

5 Peppercorns crushed

2 tablespoons shallots finely-chopped

1 tablespoon Basil chopped

1 tablespoon water

3 Egg yolks

300ml unsalted butter melted

Sea Salt, to taste

A little Garlic butter is needed to cook the prawns

Method:

1. In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, wine, peppercorns, shallots, and Basil. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce to 1 tablespoon. Add 1 tablespoon of water. Cool.

2. Add the egg yolks and whisk, over low heat (use a double-boiler), until frothy, about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. In a steady stream, add the butter until the sauce thickens. Season with a little salt. Strain the sauce through a sieve and set aside.

Fry the seasoned steaks on a hot pan for 2 minutes each side. Leave them aside for two or three minutes to relax the meat before serving. This will let the juices balance themselves in the meat after cooking. Toss the peeled Prawns in a little garlic butter on the same pan for one minute and pour over the steak. Serve with the Béarnaise sauce.

Don't forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this post!
zack