Here's to banging one out
It could be said that I, at times, over think1 things that others, perhaps, take in their stride. I generally like this about myself. I love the pattern spotting, the presumption of subconscious meaning, the parallels that can be drawn between… And here, I genuinely cannot think of a single example of anything being able to be compared to anything else. So, to say I overthink things, is a misnomer. I do a normal amount of thinking - it just takes longer to get out than other people. I think, therefore, I stall.
Instead of sitting for a few more minutes, staring at the the moss-dappled roof tops of the High Street, I’m going to stick to my twenty minute timer (already down to 4:59, feck, it’ll be a twice over twenty - a French forty), and bang this one out.
Back to Taste, with some of the lessons I’ve been taking in - trusting my own jusgement and planning before doing. The planning took2 too long (like during my PGCE year, when a ten minute starter would take three hours to research, type up and resource. Generally ended in tears anyway. Teaching me that the more I plan the worse the lesson goes, yet, when I didn’t pour so much thought into detail, I got questioned and lo! Panic attacks. But teaching is great profession, guys. Really worth it. You’ll feel how much impact every minute of that hyper-ventilation has on the lives the kids. Promise. Good ‘back-up’ career, you know?), but the recipe was, quite literally, a whizz.
Considering coast and likelihood of using up the ingredients, I made one of Sohla’s alternatives to ‘Nutty & Salty Gunpowder Spice’: her ‘Cool Pistachio Ranch Fun Dip’. This is basically a genre of dry dips, she calls them ‘fun dips’. It’s great. This is something I want to go into more, but what I’m getting from her book is:
“Gunpwder Spice, also known as idli podi or milagai podi, is not a spice blend, but instead a dry chutney found in South India.”
That’s the knowledge given to me, and because I trust in Sohla, I’m assuming it’s true. From what I know, Sohla has grown up in America, and I can’t remember (not doing the research now) if her family connects with a South Indian heritage. And what I want to stall my thoughts over at another point is how recipes get translated for audiences. Julia Child was translating French recipes for a primarily American audience. It mixes up with Bon Appétit, Alison Roman, Jamie Oliver, and Anthony from Queer Eye in my mind. I want to stall over it and put things together and look at the inside out, outside in and trust. But not right now. I’m trying to bang one out here!
The main point to remember with the recipe for (second alarm went off, I’m finishing up promise!) these ‘fun dips’ is that the ingredients must be dry. I couldn’t find dried dill (guessing the head office of my local supermarket has figured that the patrons feel dill primarily is needed to go fresh on smoked salmon), so I supplemented with another dried herb I have in excess: oregano. Pistachios were easily found and toasted, nutritional yeast is as vital as salt and olive oil in my home, and the other taste makers (dried garlic, salt, sugar, MSG) earn their keep. Granulated onion isn’t something we always have, but it’ll be used. Probably in making variations of this recipe.
As long as you have a blender, spice grinder or pestle and mortar, this is an easy3 addition to any crudité party you may be hosting. I judged that only a small am,ount of oregano would be needed to round out the pistachio and cheesy yeast, which was overall correct. I will adjust proportions in future, but I think it might come across too try-hard pizzeria with a stronger dose of oregano in particular. 4 It sticks nicely to a carrot, apple wedge, cucumber… basically anything that you’re bored of coating with store-bought hummus, guac or salsa. Except maybe those value tortilla chips, but they can scoop good. Or - double dip? Hummus, then ‘fun dip’? Hmm…
Plus, it keeps and travels well. I’ve been sprinkling it onto other food - highly recommend. And bang. The blog is gone.