This dip has a smoky, creamy flavour, with a little warmth and sweetness. It’s ideal with bread or veggie sticks, spread onto sandwiches, or added to sauces for a lovely pop of flavour
Yield; 335g of dip Cook time; 45 minutes
You’ll need;
- Three red peppers, deseeded and cut into large pieces. Alternatively use 185g of shop bought roasted red peppers, and skip to the last point in the method listed below
- 100g of grated Greek style cheese, I used Violife’s Greek white block
- One teaspoon of smoked paprika
- One quarter to half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- Salt to taste
Method;
- Start by preparing the peppers, then pop them onto a lined baking tray. Roast the peppers at 220°C/200°C fan assisted for 30-35 minutes, or until the skin starts to blacken in places
- Once the peppers are done, pop them into a bowl and cover them. Allow them to steam for 15 minutes before peeling off the skin
- Next add the grated cheese into a jug (if using a stick blender) or food processor. Then add the smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and finally the peppers. Blend until the mixture is smooth, and season to taste with salt. I find the dip is best served either warm, or at room temperature, however it’s nice chilled too
You can serve the dip with vegetable sticks like celery or carrot, slices of bread, or crackers and breadsticks. You can also use the dip to add flavour to pasta sauce. The sweetness helps to balance any bitterness in the tomatoes, and the smoky flavour and the creamy texture work so well in pasta sauce
Tomato & Vegetable Pasta Sauce
Yield; Two servings Cook time; 45 minutes
You’ll need;
- A teaspoon of oil
- A small brown onion, peeled and finely diced
- One stick of celery, finely diced
- Half a small carrot, peeled and finely diced
- Two cloves of garlic, minced
- One tablespoon of tomato puree
- One 400g tin of chopped tomatoes (I used a stick blender to blend them until smooth, but this step is optional)
- A quarter of a teaspoon of both dried basil and dried oregano
- Two tablespoons of the dip mentioned above
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Enough pasta for two servings, I used 150g (this is the dry, uncooked weight) of penne
Method;
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Once it’s warmed up add in the onion, celery and carrot. Fry the vegetables for 10 minutes, stirring often
- Next, add in the garlic and tomato puree, give them two or three minutes to cook. Then add in the chopped tomatoes, I blended them until they were smooth for a smoother sauce, this is optional. Add in the herbs, dip, and season to taste with salt and pepper, then pop a lid on the frying pan
- Turn the heat down to medium, and allow the sauce to cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain it then add it into the sauce. Give the pasta a couple of minutes to cook in the sauce, stirring well to ensure the sauce fully coats the pasta. Then it’s ready to serve
Bethany's Vegan Kitchen 