Even before the pandemic, I spent a good portion of my time working from home, which means I’m well practiced in the art of snacking more or less continuously from midafternoon until dinnertime. (Being so close to the kitchen naturally makes one very hungry.)
On a good week, I’ll make a healthful, protein-packed dip for cracker-scooping and veggie-dunking. Dip in the fridge is a moderating influence; it balances out all the cookies, slices of cake and squares of dark chocolate.
With the herbs on my deck finally reviving after the winter, I made green goddess dip. The beauty of green goddess is that you can use pretty much any soft herbs or greens you’ve got, as long as you purée them with something creamy to bind them, and something garlicky or oniony to perk them up, along with a few anchovies for general deliciousness.
[See Melissa’s original, unadapted recipe on NYT Cooking.]
I like a combination of mayonnaise and yogurt for the base, and use about half a cup of each. (But you can use only one: I’ll often make this with just yogurt.) You could also use sour cream or crème fraîche or buttermilk, though the buttermilk will make it runnier. Put whatever you’ve got in your blender.
Next, throw in about a packed cup of herbs or greens. In a perfect world, there’d be tarragon, mint and chives in the mix. I had the chives and mint from my deck, but not the tarragon, and I supplemented them with slightly wilted parsley and cilantro from the fridge. Arugula, mustard greens, baby kale or spinach would also work. Add a grated garlic clove, a squeeze of lemon or lime (or dash of vinegar), and a few anchovy fillets, and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Green goddess will keep in the fridge for a week or so, and will be there for you when your chocolate stash runs low, or your willpower runs high.
This is part of a weekday series in which Melissa Clark teaches you how to cook with pantry staples. (Other recipes in the series: Garlicky braised greens. Pasta carbonara. Cornmeal poundcake. Root vegetables with chickpeas and yogurt. Cheesy shakshuka. Sardine-celery salad. Brothy lentils and rice. Flaky biscuits. Tahini omelet. Cold peanut noodles. Crunchy pantry popcorn. Vegetarian skillet chili. Dried beans. Baked oats. Canned tuna pasta. Any-vegetable soup. Pantry crumb cake.)