Photo by Nick Torres, prop and food styling by Alyse Whitney and Nick Torres

Caesar Salad Dip

Recipe from my cookbook, Big Dip Energy: 88 Parties in a Bowl for Snacking, Dinner, Dessert, and Beyond

Prep Time: Dip on Demand (15 minutes or less)
Serves: A Lil’ Get-Together (4 to 6 people)

I love all my children equally, but Caesar Salad Dip is my favorite. (I don’t care for G.O.B. This is Arrested Dipvelopment.) This dipfied all expectations of how dishes can be transformed into dips. This isn’t just a Caesar dressing that’s slightly thicker and more dippable—it’s salad blended into a dip. The base of the dip was inspired by aji verde, a Peruvian green sauce made with a base of pureed romaine lettuce, which adds a subtle vegetal flavor and some of its signature color. I ate it frequently when I lived on New York’s Upper West Side (shout-out To Pio Pio!) and was reminded of it by my friend and food stylist Nick Torres during the dipvelopment process. Watching lettuce get pulverized in a food processor is a little gnarly, but trust the process and romaine calm. The water in the lettuce keeps things light and bright even after you add in all of the dairy and garlic, making it refreshingly decadent—and the best way to get yourself to eat a lot of vegetables in one sitting.

I made a veganized version of Caesar Salad Dip for the lovely plant-based Lu in our Dips & Sips KTLA segment. That tweaked recipe follows, and I paired it with fries and a martini for a special kinda lunch.

INGREDIENTS

1 head romaine, roughly chopped, or 1 bag (7 ounces) chopped romaine (for lazy ease)
4 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 teaspoons anchovy paste or fish sauce (vegan version: nước mắm chay, aka Vietnamese vegan fish sauce, or Maggi seasoning)
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire or soy sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (freshly grated or the pre-grated kind from the refrigerated section; vegan version: plant-based Parm)
¾ cup mayonnaise (vegan version: plant-based mayonnaise)
¾ cup sour cream (vegan version: plant-based sour cream or cream cheese; both work great)
10 to 15 cranks black pepper, plus more to taste
Kosher salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Don’t let fear stop you—put that lettuce right into your food processor (or blender). Blitz it with the garlic until broken down into little bits, then add the lemon juice, anchovy paste (or nước mắm chay or Maggi), dijon, Worcestershire or soy sauce, and cheese. Run the motor again until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined. Add the mayonnaise and sour cream, then run it again until you have a creamy, green-speckled dip. Crack in as much black pepper as speaks to you and taste to see if it needs any salt (it shouldn’t, but you be the judge).
Pour the dip into an airtight container and let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours to firm up slightly to the right dipscosity. You can dip in right away but it will be looser, more like a dressing or dipping sauce.

Photo by Andrew Bui, creative direction by Alyse Whitney, food styling by Nick Torres, prop styling by Casha Doemland

DIPPER MATRIX

HOMEMADE (RECIPES IN BIG DIP ENERGY)

Garlic-Kissed Crostini, page 189—try making with 2-inch cubes from a sourdough boule or loaf to get giant garlic bread croutons!
Potato Skinny Dippers, page 219
Roulette Charred Peppers, page 216
Veggie Ribbons, page 214
Shortcut Garlic Knots, page 190

STORE-BOUGHT IS FRAN FINE

Romaine or Little Gem lettuce, cut into little dippin’ boats
Rotisserie chicken
Cooked shrimp or shrimp cocktail
Tortilla chips, especially Tostitos Scoops
Potato chips
Pita chips
Bagel chips
Crudités, such as carrots, cucumbers, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, or sweet peppers